rasp 1 of 2

Definition of raspnext
as in scratch
a harsh grating sound the rusted lock opened with a rasp

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rasp

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to rub
to make smooth by friction after sawing the board in half, rasp the ends to remove any splinters

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2
as in to scratch
to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface the sound of fingernails rasping on the blackboard makes me cringe

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3
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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rasp
Noun
Kirbi, that rasp is so beautiful at the top of your register. Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2025 Her strong, confident country voice shone through immediately in her performance of this Judds song, with just enough rasp to really give it some edge. Andy Swift, TVLine, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
Hines and Pidgeon give the woman a choreography, the dramatic toss of the hair, the hips gone concave, the Marlboro rasp in her voice. Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026 Sea lampreys are parasites, feeding by attaching to fish with their suction mouth, using their tongue to rasp a hole through the fish's skin, and consuming the blood and juices that flow out. Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 15 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rasp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rasp
Noun
  • Yet relief from a good scratch, in evolutionary terms, is positive feedback.
    ABC News, ABC News, 27 June 2026
  • Unlike Leviticus, Obsession and Backrooms didn’t build their audiences from scratch.
    Sophia Morano, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • The bumper was rubbing the tire and a headlight looked to be dragging.
    Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 28 June 2026
  • Brown alleged Wilhelmy rubbed her stomach, touched her shoulders and spanked her despite objections.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026
Verb
  • But this adjustable Oxo measuring cup will save you time that would otherwise be spent scraping every last bit of peanut butter from the measuring cup.
    Melanie Fincher, Southern Living, 26 June 2026
  • Colombia needed a 76th-minute goal from Crystal Palace standout Daniel Muñoz to scrape past the DRC, but that goal pushed the team into first place in the group.
    Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • Damian used to get annoyed with his father's motivational chats about responsibility.
    Claudia Boyd-Barrett, CBS News, 18 June 2026
  • Three hours before the parade is set to begin, paradegoers are already annoyed at the disorganization and slow-moving lines.
    Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 18 June 2026
Verb
  • The high-quality dress can be worn all summer long, in playful hues like white and green.
    Sarah DiMuro, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026
  • The key to modernizing the pinkish-orange color in 2026 is to wear it in loose, easy silhouettes.
    Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 22 June 2026
Noun
  • Prairie grasses and bonnet strings whip in the wind as the creak of wagon wheels carries across the rippling grassland.
    Alicia Underlee Nelson, Midwest Living, 22 June 2026
  • Iwerks worked with Bonnie Wild, a sound mixer whose credits include multiple Marvel and Star Wars projects, to piece together all of the sound from scratch — every creak of metal, every footstep and hammer, and every tractor driving across concrete.
    Matthew Jacobs, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2026
Verb
  • The verdict comes a year after Pitt first filed his request for depositions last June, according to court records reviewed by USA TODAY.
    Edward Segarra, USA Today, 27 June 2026
  • The lawsuit was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court on Thursday on behalf of Abby Grizzell, of Lee’s Summit, who attorneys said was bowled over and trampled by a group of youths on June 6.
    Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 27 June 2026
Verb
  • The necessity of the trip at all is what's been bugging me.
    Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 12 June 2026
  • His doctor had been bugging him for years to get a colonoscopy because of his age, but Driggers declined.
    The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rasp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rasp. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.

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