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Synonyms

rasping

American  
[ras-ping, rah-sping] / ˈræs pɪŋ, ˈrɑ spɪŋ /

adjective

  1. harsh; grating.

    a rasping voice.

noun

  1. a tiny piece of material removed by rasping or scraping.

    raspings of sawed wood.

  2. Cooking. raspings, dry breadcrumbs.

rasping British  
/ ˈrɑːspɪ, ˈrɑːspɪŋ /

adjective

  1. (esp of a noise) harsh or grating; rough

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • raspingly adverb
  • raspingness noun
  • unrasping adjective

Etymology

Origin of rasping

First recorded in 1650–60; rasp + -ing 2, -ing 1

Explanation

Something that's rasping has a harsh, scratchy sound. If your old car's rasping engine gets even louder, you might want to take it to a mechanic. You'll most often find the adjective rasping describing someone's voice: "His rasping singing voice accompanied the choir," or "I was so thirsty after the hike that i could only make a dry, rasping sound when I tried to talk." To rasp means to scrape, from the Old French verb rasper, or "to grate."

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Vinicius, who excelled in Madrid's Champions League 6-1 rout of Monaco in midweek, also came close with a rasping effort across Luiz Junior's goal and wide.

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

The 22-year-old took the second opportunity, with a rasping passing shot forcing a deciding set.

From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025

What endures is the rasping byplay, the soaring exasperation, the tango of opposing temperaments finding fleeting common ground.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2024

City trailed 1-0 at halftime after Marcus Rashford’s rasping long-range strike in the eighth minute and a glaring miss from the prolific Haaland from barely two meters out.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 3, 2024

His rasping voice made Piper think of a straight razor being wiped across a strop - like in her grandfather’s barbershop back in Oklahoma.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.