rasp

American  

[rasp, rahsp] / ræsp, rɑsp /

verb (used with object)

1. to scrape or abrade with a rough instrument.

2. to scrape or rub roughly.

   The glacier rasped the valley floor.

3. to grate upon or irritate.

   The sound rasped his nerves.

4. to utter with a grating sound.

   to rasp out an answer.

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verb (used without object)

1. to scrape or grate.

2. to make a grating sound.

noun

1. an act of rasping.

2. a rasping sound.

3. a coarse file, used mainly on wood, having separate conical teeth.

4. (in an insect) a roughened surface used in stridulation.

rasp ¹ British  

/ rɑːsp /

noun

1. a harsh grating noise

2. a coarse file with rows of raised teeth

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verb

1. (tr) to scrape or rub (something) roughly, esp with a rasp; abrade

2. to utter with or make a harsh grating noise

3. to irritate (one's nerves or senses); grate (upon)

rasp ² British  

/ rɑːsp /

noun

1. an informal or Scot word for raspberry

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Other Word Forms

• rasper noun
• raspish adjective
• unrasped adjective

Etymology

Origin of rasp

1200–50; Middle English raspen < Old French rasper to scrape, grate < Germanic; rape ³

Example Sentences

The new mix showcases the singer's strength as a vocalist - with a tell-tale rasp that catches on the song's message of friendship and solidarity.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2024

She matched Winehouse’s signature jazzy tone, but doesn’t have the low register rasp that made Winehouse’s voice unique.

From Seattle Times • May 16, 2024

Working under the name of his cat, Fluss, Albini helped give this Bay Area punk trio a muscular bottom end that perfectly balanced singer Blake Schwarzenbach’s desperate rasp.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2024

His lyrics, set to a heart-stirring rasp of a voice, told about the homeless and the working poor.

From Reuters • Aug. 9, 2023

Sitting bolt upright, he heard the rasp of the curtains being pulled back: The dazzling sunlight seemed to poke him hard in both eyes.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling