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
Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
When the beetle takes flight, the woman, who is busy unpacking, doesn’t realize for a moment that there’s something out of place about that rasping ruckus, that foreign hum.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Thrips have rasping, sucking mouthparts.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026
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
Negron, in particular, completely throws himself into it, rasping and howling and wailing out ad-libs.
—Paul Grein, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Verb
The voice was faint and rasping, like the sound of pebbles raked by a wave.
—Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
When the beetle takes flight, the woman, who is busy unpacking, doesn’t realize for a moment that there’s something out of place about that rasping ruckus, that foreign hum.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Thrips have rasping, sucking mouthparts.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026
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
Negron, in particular, completely throws himself into it, rasping and howling and wailing out ad-libs.
—Paul Grein, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rasping
Adjective
-
During the debate, Joe Biden frequently lost his train of thought, stumbled over answers, and appeared hoarse, fueling concerns among voters and party leaders.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
-
Signs include panting, a hoarse bark, scuffing or dragging their toes along the ground, and sometimes regurgitation or swallowing problems.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Carefully remove any visible tentacles with tweezers or a gloved hand and avoid rubbing the skin.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
3 June 2026
-
Sources told the outlet that the pair had a smiley chat, while White's date was also seen rubbing his leg.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
One of those 17 was a bullpen game — with Ober’s injury, the Twins currently have four starters on the roster — and in one game, the Twins had to press Woods Richardson into duty after scratching Rojas an hour before the game.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
-
Equity versus debt Corporate bonds have been the hyperscalers’ main source of financing for the AI buildout so far, so the switch to equity has some analysts scratching their heads.—
Tobias Burns,
CNBC,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Weird; annoying even – but the floaters did not seem urgent.—
Peter Ubel,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
My biggest concern about adding a tracking device around Mya’s neck was annoying her or creating disruption.—
Tyler Hayes,
PC Magazine,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Kaua'i’s northwest coast is one of the world's most rapidly eroding shores.—
Brianna Randall,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
As many others have noted, including Fortune contributor Bhaskar Chakravorti, dean of global business at the Tufts Fletcher School, this is now structurally unwinding, rather than slowly eroding.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Platner, a gruff 41-year-old Marine Corps veteran, is trying to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins with a platform of economic populism, universal health care, labor protections, and anti-interventionism.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
-
With his gruff voice, beard and sweatshirts-instead-of-suits, Platner cuts the figure of a blue-collar Mainer.—
Caroline McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
If the story of the past two years was one of slow, grinding forward progress for Russia,the story of this year is very different.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
-
Nine crucial years of expansion and solidification of the pernicious institution went by, speeding the nation’s road toward a grinding war.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
This is an album in which harsh, scraping sounds make sweet vocal melodies sound even sweeter, where that kindness of spirit may flicker but never quite fades away.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
-
Traditional screen-scraping automation is inherently fragile, breaking with every UI change or system patch, increasing risk and cost while limiting scale.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rasping. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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