rasping
Americanadjective
noun
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a tiny piece of material removed by rasping or scraping.
raspings of sawed wood.
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Cooking. raspings, dry breadcrumbs.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rasping
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."
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 6-1 Champions League rout of Monaco in midweek, also came close with a rasping effort that sailed across Luiz Junior's goal and wide.
From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026
He cheerfully refused broadcast interviews because he knew how his rasping vocal chords could be interpreted.
From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025
But the home side equalised on the stroke of half-time courtesy of a rasping long-range drive from Vitinha following a short corner routine.
From Barron's • Nov. 26, 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
“They’ll come for me, you know,” she said, her voice rasping through dry lips.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.
