rasp
verb (used with object)
to scrape or abrade with a rough instrument.
were rasping
-
past progressiveof rasp.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
The judge himself was very indignant, and his friends on the local press were rasping in their comments.
From The Subterranean Brotherhood by Julian Hawthorne
Claws were rasping upon the tough fabric of his suit.
From Salvage in Space by Jack Williamson
All around in the trees and shrubbery the katydids were rasping away in immelodious statement and denial of the ancient accusation.
From Southern Lights and Shadows by William Dean Howells
These interfere only slightly with vision, but keep the eye perpetually on the strain, on a twist, as it were, rasping the entire nervous system into a state of chronic irritation.
From Preventable Diseases by Woods Hutchinson
He noted a small sandstone block against which were rasping stones of harder texture, and he picked this from the tumbling current and carried it to his cave.
From The Story of Ab A Tale of the Time of the Cave Man by Stanley Waterloo
