rasp

1 of 2

verb

rasped; rasping; rasps

transitive verb

1
: to rub with something rough
specifically : to abrade with a rasp
2
: to grate upon : irritate
3
: to utter in a raspy tone

intransitive verb

1
: scrape
2
: to produce a grating sound
rasper noun
raspingly adverb

rasp

2 of 2

noun

1
: a coarse file with cutting points instead of lines
2
: something used for rasping
3
a
: an act of rasping
b
: a rasping sound, sensation, or effect

Examples of rasp in a Sentence

Verb “Let go of my arm,” she rasped. The metal boxes rasped as they were dragged across the floor. Noun the rusted lock opened with a rasp
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Perhaps my favorite noisy aquarium fish are the Synodontis catfishes, which produce a rasping sound that resembles a growl that can easily be heard outside their aquarium during territorial disputes. Grrlscientist, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 What to Know About Cheese Graters Before Shopping Style There are four different styles of graters: box, rotary, flat, and rasp (commonly known as a Microplane or zester). Belle Duchene, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2024 So-equipped, the fizzy little 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is good for 125 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque, rasping its merry song out of a stainless-steel exhaust. Brendan McAleer, Car and Driver, 26 Aug. 2023 Accents, postures, props and hairstyles are fanatically accurate; there’s even a hat-tip (by Adam Cork) to John Williams’s sawing, rasping theme at the start. Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2023 With its sharp tongue, the lamprey rasps away at the fish’s flesh to feed on its blood and body fluids, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 July 2023 Reeds rasp, bows grind, voices growl, and strings shimmer with overtones. Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023 The short list of ingredients can be prepped even faster with the help of a Microplane zester (aka rasp). Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Mar. 2023 City did take their foot off the pedal a little, but Fernandinho still tested Pickford with a rasping drive in the 57th minute, which took a deflection off Calvert-Lewin. SI.com, 31 Mar. 2018
Noun
What We Researched Style: Cheese graters are offered in several styles: box, rotary, rasp, and flat. Belle Duchene, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2024 Her voice was strong and warm, with a hint of rasp. Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024 The duality of their respective voices — a siren-esque timbre and a rousing roar of rasp — cover the wide expanse of Carnival energies. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 3 Jan. 2024 With the sincere rasp of haircut influencer Peso Pluma and the silken vibrato of Eslabón Armado’s Pedro Tovar, however, the moment is dreamy and longing, even when Doble P’s dropping googly-eyed bars about a particular woman’s physique. Pitchfork, 13 Dec. 2023 His tools include hammers, chisels, saws, rasps, files and curved steel calipers in several sizes. Elaine Sciolino, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Dec. 2023 Usher never really growls, or bellows, or rasps, or roars. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023 The new arrangements also allowed Ms. Hill to find new pockets, providing the foundation for some truly virtuosic rapping to complement the rasp and physicality that bookmarked her singing. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 20 Oct. 2023 Mizu is a strong, silent type a la Geralt of Rivia, complete with a chatty sidekick in the irrepressible Ringo (Masi Oka) — but the combination of intensity, nonchalance and badassery contained in Erskine’s rasp feels entirely her own. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rasp.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French *rasper, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German raspōn to scrape together

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1512, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rasp was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near rasp

Cite this Entry

“Rasp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rasp. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rasp

1 of 2 verb
1
: to rub with or as if with a rough file
rasp off a rough edge
2
3
: to speak or say in an irritated tone
4
: to make a harsh grating sound

rasp

2 of 2 noun
1
: a coarse file with cutting points instead of lines
2
: a rasping sound or sensation

More from Merriam-Webster on rasp

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