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
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
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
-
His own voice sounds hoarse and nasty to him, the voice of a gloomy oracle.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Her voice was hoarse, her schedule packed.—
Karen Brooks Harper
Austin Bureau,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Dollander experienced a rookie season that ranked somewhere between eating thumbtacks and rubbing a cheese grater on shins.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
-
This research doesn’t offer a fix, though the internet has plenty of advice that may be risky, including rubbing soap or a dryer sheet on the soles.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Use natural cleaners like baking soda and vinegar to safely remove stains and grime without scratching the surface.—
Rae Ford,
Martha Stewart,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Counsell, Hottovy, team president Jed Hoyer and many others in the organization believe that Cabrera was just scratching the surface last season.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Sometimes, rage bait can be relatively harmless – a recipe that contains disgusting food combinations or someone annoying their pet, partner or sibling.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
1 Dec. 2025
-
But what’s been annoying me even more is that these women should have been trained by producers to start recording on their own cell phones if drama starts to unfold after cameras go down.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
State leaders seem to care more about the undocumented, DEI, Don’t Say Gay, redistricting, Hope Florida and school vouchers while our coastlines are eroding.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Judge Salas told us vilifying judges is eroding trust in the courts.—
Heather Abbott,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As Woody Harrelson detailed Harrison Ford's accomplishments from the Actors Awards stage, the famously gruff actor seemed to squirm in his seat, somehow uncomfortable with praise even at the age of 83.—
Eve Batey,
Vanity Fair,
2 Mar. 2026
-
While not gruff or unfriendly, the serious New York restaurateur carries a distinct tone of getting down to business, even when casually chatting about how the show has changed over time.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Those declines reflect a long list of new questions facing the business world — from the cost of oil coming out of the Middle East and supply chain disruptions to consumer confidence and the grinding uncertainty.—
Ritu Upadhyay,
Footwear News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
But Ejiofor remained patient, grinding behind the scenes to prepare for his opportunity.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The wet-look bob By scraping hair away from the face and gathering it at the back of the head, a slick wet-look bob is a chic way to disguise thinning hair.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2026
-
There are 617 McDonald's restaurants in Ohio, according to the web scraping tool ScrapeHero.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rasping. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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