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
-
This is also linked to a change known as Darier’s sign, which is a common finding in mastocytosis, where rubbing a skin lesion causes redness or swelling.—
Suchandrima Bhowmik,
Health,
15 May 2026
-
If one berry develops mold, spores can spread quickly, and moisture, warmth, and friction from the berries rubbing together can accelerate the spread.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The chance to work with the former Brighton & Hove Albion manager had been a significant draw for many of the players who had joined the club over the previous 18 months, and his abrupt departure left some scratching their heads.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
For textured handles or seams where grime tends to hide, an old soft toothbrush can help loosen residue without scratching the surface.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
Psychological safety — which 83% of executives in the MIT Technology Review survey identified as measurably improving AI initiative outcomes — is eroding inside those same initiatives.—
Julie Averill,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
More broadly, the NFL is eroding the scarcity that helped turn the sport into America’s dominant television property.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
But the grizzled former Man in Black and man-who-failed-to-ground-Maverick isn’t known for playing the type of gruff ol’ cowpoke who’s about to break into song.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
-
The son of a Scottish immigrant, McCluskie had a reputation as a political street fighter and his gruff style complemented Becerra’s more measured, cerebral approach.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Conventionally, cement is made by grinding up limestone and heating up to around 3,000 degrees.—
Alex Knapp,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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The stock peaked near $570, rolled over hard, and spent months grinding through a deep correction that took it all the way back to the low $300s.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Plus, the tilt-head design provides easy access to the bowl, perfect for making ingredient additions, scraping, and adjustments.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
14 May 2026
-
Using a flexible bench scraper or hard plastic spatula, fold dough over and onto itself several times, scraping bottom and sides of bowl, to bring together into a mass (dough will feel very wet and sticky).—
Claire Saffitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rasping. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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