as in gruff
harsh and dry in sound
the dying man spoke in a hoarse whisper
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Recent Examples of hoarse
For most of his first 10 songs, Costello’s singing was ragged and hoarse.
—
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2025
Screamed himself hoarse and still tried calling for his brother.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025
Signs someone has swallowed a button battery include: noisy breathing, coughing, drooling, difficulty swallowing, a hoarse voice, vomiting, chest or abdominal pain, and gagging, coughing or choking with eating or drinking.
—Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 8 June 2025
In a hoarse voice, Wayne almost steals Tupac’s classic out from under him.
—Pitchfork, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoarse
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2025
Screamed himself hoarse and still tried calling for his brother.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025
Signs someone has swallowed a button battery include: noisy breathing, coughing, drooling, difficulty swallowing, a hoarse voice, vomiting, chest or abdominal pain, and gagging, coughing or choking with eating or drinking.
—Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 8 June 2025
In a hoarse voice, Wayne almost steals Tupac’s classic out from under him.
—Pitchfork, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoarse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoarse
Adjective
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This pays off to some extent because Day-Lewis is such a mesmerizing presence, Ray’s gruff manner and terse communications hinting at dark mysteries to be revealed.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Panday plays a convincingly gruff tortured artist alongside Padda’s struggling ingenue, and most of the screen time is devoted to their pairing instead of introducing tertiary excess.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The star’s lower, huskier baritone voice has always made an impact in BTS’ music with the star citing the likes of Bing Crosby, Eric Benet and Ruben Studdard as inspirations.—
Jeff Benjamin,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Carpenter is plainly a student of Parton’s, evoking her pinup styling (voluminous hair, big red lips), her persona (sharp with a knowing wink), and her voice, which is rich and husky and accompanied by a country lilt.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This is particularly helpful for those with thicker, coarser hair (types 3 to 4).—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
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Thick, coarse hair does best with a hot-air brush that features strong, durable bristles and tangle-free features.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This helps protect the nonstick surface, further fighting the risk of rusty cast iron.—
Julie Harans,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Lipkin didn’t look very enthused about fighting, but Landeskog certainly didn’t look rusty with that part of his game.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hoarse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoarse. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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