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
Liam Twomey, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
Thrips have rasping, sucking mouthparts.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
His summer holiday after scoring three times in the group stage for Portugal in the European Under-21 Championship — punctuated by a rasping right-footed shot into the top corner against Poland that circulated widely among Chelsea fans online — consisted of a week spent with friends in the Algarve.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
Thrips have rasping, sucking mouthparts.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rasping
Adjective
-
Give Palestine your voice, and when your voice goes hoarse, hang your flags, wear your keffiyeh.—
Thomas Smith,
Billboard,
18 Sep. 2025
-
And when your voice goes hoarse, hang your flags, wear your keffiyeh.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Dawn suggests using dish soap as a pre-wash spot treatment by rubbing a little bit into the affected area of the fabric before laundering as usual.—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
7 Oct. 2025
-
This can be done by rubbing them together or against one's teeth.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There is an undercurrent of pulsing creative energy that is meticulously refined and barely scratching its surface.—
Aaron Davis,
Sacbee.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
But in OpenAI’s view, the company is merely scratching the surface of its full potential.—
Senior Reporter,
PC Magazine,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
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The Sounders’ defenders swarmed Messi from the first minute, and midfielder Obed Vargas was particularly physical, annoying the Argentine icon time and again.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Polls show Jones' support eroding, and experts like Farnsworth believe even a win in November won’t erase the damage.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
In a new essay co-written with Harvard University professor Robert Waldinger — titled The Power of Human Connection in a Distracted World — Kate, 43, reflected on how technology is eroding our ability to truly connect.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Both are ruggedly handsome, gruff and not short on ego.—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
8 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
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Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes were in the midst of a gritty response powered by Xavier Worthy and Isiah Pacheco grinding for tough yards before disaster struck at the goal line.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Oct. 2025
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Some vessels of that era were built to withstand this type of grinding pressure.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Add trinity mix and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring often, until softened and scraping up any brown bits on bottom of pan, 8 to 10 minutes.—
Marianne Williams,
Southern Living,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Beat until combined, scraping bowl as needed.—
Jenavieve Christensen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rasping. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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