rasp 1 of 2

as in scratch
a harsh grating sound the rusted lock opened with a rasp

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rasp

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to rub
to make smooth by friction after sawing the board in half, rasp the ends to remove any splinters

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2
as in to scratch
to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface the sound of fingernails rasping on the blackboard makes me cringe

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3
4

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rasp
Noun
In this case, there’s not much in the way of medication that can help; Dr. Mercado notes that OTC drugs haven’t actually been proven effective for softening a bad rasp. Erica Sloan, SELF, 13 Feb. 2025 Vernon also lent his signature rasp to collaborations with some of the biggest stars in music, from Taylor Swift, Travis Scott, and Charli XCX. Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2025
Verb
And then Elisabeth uses it, and her spine splits open, leaving her a rasping husk of flesh while an alternate self rises, in the dewy buff, to survey her taut flesh with a clinical eye in the mirror. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2024 What endures is the rasping byplay, the soaring exasperation, the tango of opposing temperaments finding fleeting common ground. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for rasp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rasp
Noun
  • Hassabis and Murdoch had to hire a team from scratch.
    Hayden Field, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Head coach Pat Kelsey has earned some trust after building an entire roster from scratch in his first year and coming away with a winner.
    CJ Moore, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Gently rub away any remaining margarine with a paper towel.
    Annabelle Canela, Parents, 16 Apr. 2025
  • Sometimes even small things can rub a customer wrong.
    Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Set up your agent to scrape competitor data, log changes to a spreadsheet, and send you only the high-impact alerts.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • On Tuesday, the Wikimedia Foundation announced that relentless AI scraping is putting strain on Wikipedia's servers.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Waltz now has a bunch of top officials, and their teams, who are annoyed at him for drawing bad publicity.
    Marc Caputo, Axios, 25 Mar. 2025
  • However, standing in the middle of a road to capture the Eiffel Tower in the background is not only unsafe but can also annoy locals.
    Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Tobacco smoking, not wearing seatbelts and riding motorcycles can reduce years from your healthspan.
    Renée Onque, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2025
  • The sweet interaction was posted to TikTok, where a surprised Ballerini could be seen promising to wear the boots to perform the show's final song.
    Michelle Lee, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • My assumption is that most rational human beings would happily stay in a warm and cozy office and simply listen to the building creak and groan under the force of the violent gusts.
    Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 11 Mar. 2025
  • The set is a ship’s deck that tilts and creaks ominously while a screen plays eerily textured footage of a roiling ocean.
    Houman Barekat, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • No charges were filed against Darvish as of April 13.
    Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
  • The lawsuit was initially filed against Meta — then called Facebook — in 2020, during Mr. Trump's first term, before being amended in 2021.
    Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Aaron Boone said Bellinger’s back started bugging him during Thursday’s game against the Diamondbacks.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Ralph Macchio on the one thing that still bugs him about Karate Kid Part II My Cousin Vinny tells the story of three bombastic Italian-Americans caught up in an over-the-top legal drama.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 24 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rasp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rasp. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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