as in hoarse
harsh and dry in sound
a patient beset by a rasping cough from years of smoking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in rubbing
to make smooth by friction
after sawing the board in half, rasp the ends to remove any splinters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in annoying
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
the two siblings seemed intent on rasping each other for the entire car trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in eroding
to damage or diminish by continued friction
during the last ice age, glaciers rasped the surface, leaving the deeply scarred rock
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rasping
Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Thrips have rasping, sucking mouthparts.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
Cody Gapko struck the post three times — once with a deflected cross, twice with rasping drives — while Senne Lammens saved Alexander Isak’s shot with an outstretched right foot.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Thrips have rasping, sucking mouthparts.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rasping
Adjective
-
When a reporter reached her by phone a week later, her voice sounded hoarse.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Give Palestine your voice, and when your voice goes hoarse, hang your flags, wear your keffiyeh.—
Thomas Smith,
Billboard,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Bathroom Sinks and Mirrors Bathroom mirrors and sinks are quick to show signs of use over the course of a week, and rubbing them down will make all of the difference.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Leave it on dirty spots for just a minute before rubbing residue away with a soft cloth.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And that’s just scratching the surface.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The Jonas Brothers’ performance at the 2025 World Series left some viewers scratching their heads.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The dog keeps pulling the tablecloth off the table, there’s piss on the ground, and her husband Jackson, played by Robert Pattinson, is just there — annoying enough on its own.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
-
A lot of noise around the Chiefs The Chiefs have become a mainstay in NFL discourse by winning three Super Bowls in the Mahomes era, and annoying an endless list of fan bases with their ability to overcome the odds and rally for a late win at an unprecedented rate.—
Scott Chasen,
Kansas City Star,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Higher insurance and financing costs would be reflected as a sanctions premium on Russian crude, widening the discount to Brent and eroding Russia’s net revenue, the analysis said.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
But Congress has increasingly rejected his agenda, underscoring his eroding grip on power.—
NPR,
NPR,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But encounters with the island’s residents, including with his gruff but warm-hearted landlady (played by German screen legend Hanna Schygulla), gradually alter his outlook.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 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
Verb
-
The month-long blockade by the JNIM armed group has set off long queues at petrol stations in Bamako and other major cities, grinding economic activity to a halt.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The site included installations for processing grapes, along with cisterns used to supply water and grinding stones.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Stir in a splash of sherry vinegar, cook for another minute, then slowly stir in chicken broth, scraping up any pan drippings that have gathered along the surface of the skillet.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Nov. 2025
-
Two childhood friends now must face off from opposite sides – Sam, the daughter of a poor single mother scraping toward a better life in Grand Central, and Ari, a Lumines prodigy.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rasping. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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