adjective
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gratingly harsh or raucous in tone
-
low, harsh, and lacking in intensity
a hoarse whisper
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having a husky voice, as through illness, shouting, etc
Other Word Forms
- hoarsely adverb
- hoarseness noun
Etymology
Origin of hoarse
1350–1400; Middle English hors < Old Norse *hārs (assumed variant of hāss ); replacing Middle English hoos, Old English hās, cognate with Old High German heis, Old Saxon hēs
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.
Several supporters in Dakar, their voices still hoarse and weary, told AFP they were disappointed by such threats.
From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026
The graduates were hoarse and flights were canceled, but nobody seemed to mind.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025
According to some reports, there may be tell-tale symptoms with the latest ones - a hoarse voice or a "razor blade" sore throat.
From BBC • Sep. 30, 2025
Fernando Urquiza screamed himself hoarse, slapping palms with strangers on the field level of Dodger Stadium.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2025
Grandpa was crying, but he didn’t make a sound except a hoarse gasp when he had to breathe.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
