RASP Synonyms: 168 Similar and Opposite Words

rasp 1 of 2

noun

Definition of rasp

as in scratch

a harsh grating sound the rusted lock opened with a rasp

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rasp

2 of 2

verb

ˈrasp

as in to rub

to make smooth by friction after sawing the board in half, rasp the ends to remove any splinters

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to scratch

to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface the sound of fingernails rasping on the blackboard makes me cringe

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as in to annoy

to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts the two siblings seemed intent on rasping each other for the entire car trip

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to wear

to damage or diminish by continued friction during the last ice age, glaciers rasped the surface, leaving the deeply scarred rock

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of rasp

Noun

Hines and Pidgeon give the woman a choreography, the dramatic toss of the hair, the hips gone concave, the Marlboro rasp in her voice. — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026 But then Davis meets up with his boss, Money, played by Nick Nolte with an old man’s jagged rasp as dramatic as his wry middle-aged intensity used to be. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026

Verb

When the beetle takes flight, the woman, who is busy unpacking, doesn’t realize for a moment that there’s something out of place about that rasping ruckus, that foreign hum. — María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026 Thrips have rasping, sucking mouthparts. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rasp

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rasp

Noun

Jena Johnson’s daughter can expect one heckuva wedding after lottery officials said the Chatham County middle school teacher won a $10 million jackpot on a North Carolina scratch-off ticket.

— Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 29 Aug. 2026
Three of the jail guards sustained minor injuries and scratches, Bland said.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of scratch

Verb

Together, the family scraped together $60,000 from savings and a Small Business Administration loan and opened Panda Inn in Pasadena, California, in 1973.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
Burger King has 286 locations in Ohio, according to the data-scraping website ScrapeHero.

— Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of scrape

Noun

Dillon put together another great week of work, falling forward, finding creaks of daylight in the gaps created by a less-than-ideal second-team offensive line.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 21 Aug. 2026
The durable metal is also rust-resistant, and reviews say that despite its metal frame, creaks and squeaks are minimal.

— Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 16 July 2026

Definition of creak

Verb

Hackett's suit, filed by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, seeks compensatory and punitive damages and names Arellano in his individual capacity as the sole defendant.

— Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026
The Buckeye Institute – along with a number of other conservative groups that have filed supportive briefs – want the justices to also revisit a 2005 decision that affirmed a broad interpretation of Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of file

Verb

Not too much bugs him, but he sometimes is annoyed by his baby sister and doesn’t trust people who put pineapple on their pizza.

— Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026
The indictment revealed that prosecutors had bugged the Aisenbergs' home for three months after Sabrina's disappearance.

— Curran Rastogi, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026