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
-
That also includes light touch on your scalp from brushing your hair, the sensation of rubbing a blanket over your body, or feeling a breeze brush against your skin.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
-
There seemed to be little ambiguity as to the nature of their connection, as Curtis was spotted rubbing the actress' shoulders, and Aniston was later seen with her hand in his hand.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
And that’s just scratching the surface.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
31 Oct. 2025
-
But the recent trip left the team scratching their heads at the sight of blue canines.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 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
-
Most recently, in 2022, the county had completed a more than $18 million project for beach nourishment, which is the process of adding sand to an eroding beach to widen it.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Meanwhile, a recent constitutional reform that gave Mexico’s ruling party control over all three branches of government has fed fears of rising state control over the economy, eroding confidence.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Patterson was hired in a guest role as the gruff diner owner with a heart of gold, Luke Danes.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Burr plays a gruff American record-store owner who convinces a ragtag gang of teenage misfits that their best, and possibly only, chance to lose their virginity before graduating high school is at a massive open-air mass for the visiting Pope.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
And when daily wear and tear was simulated – through continuous electric-toothbrush abrasion equivalent to about a year of brushing, as well as chewing and grinding – the teeth actually had superior resistance to wear, fracture and acid attack compared with natural enamel.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Nov. 2025
-
After more than a decade grinding in the pop machine, something about Zara Larsson finally clicked this summer.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Instead of pursuing chances to pitch reboots of Hollywood’s most beloved properties, scraping the bottom of the barrel might afford you more opportunities to make films that truly feel your own.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
-
There’s a lot of concern among professionals across the creative and media industries that generative AI tools are essentially stealing their work by scraping content available on the Internet.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rasping. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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