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
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
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
-
His usually peppy voice is hoarse.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2026
-
James’ reasoning had nothing to do with having a hoarse voice at the end of practice.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Pettis took out a paper towel and began rubbing the paints together on the easel.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2026
-
Also, avoid rubbing the scent onto your skin, as this degrades the fragrance.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
More than two months into the Iran war, many analysts are still scratching their heads that wartime leaders in Washington did not plan for an Iranian shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
-
The two interconnected frame pieces then slid into each other, with handy round rubber stickers on the legs to keep the steel from scratching the floor.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
8 May 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
-
Sometimes, both groups split the cost of major repairs, like recent upgrades to the eroding south porch.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 May 2026
-
The move has raised concerns about eroding the freedom of navigation on which global trade depends.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Apparently, the gruff fighter Johnny Cage wasn’t much of a match for the all-powerful Miranda Priestly.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
10 May 2026
-
Iron Maiden’s singer when Smith joined, Di’Anno, had short hair and a uniquely gruff voice but couldn’t cut it on the road.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Whereas most of his teammates got their start playing high school and college ball, Natty began by grinding it out in the Northern California mountain town of Lake Tahoe, the Washington Nationals said in a news release.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
-
Begin by gently grinding the tip of your dog’s nails, being careful not to grind too much or too quickly and keeping the grinder at a slight angle to avoid the quick.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Stir or whisk in the dry ingredients, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure no dry streaks of flour remain.—
Martha Stewart,
Martha Stewart,
8 May 2026
-
The process of scraping food, touching the sink and other surfaces will leave your hands needing a proper wash as well.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rasping. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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