hoarser; hoarsest
1
: rough or harsh in sound : grating
a hoarse voice
2
: having a hoarse voice
shouted himself hoarse
hoarsely adverb
hoarseness noun

Examples of hoarse in a Sentence

She could only speak in a hoarse whisper. The cold made me a little hoarse.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Typically lasting about a week, these include chronic cough, sneezing fits, runny nose, sinus pressure, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and hoarse (scratchy, raspy) voice. Mark Gurarie, Health, 17 Mar. 2025 Those concerns came to a head during Biden's debate against now-President Donald Trump in June, when Biden sounded hoarse and appeared to stumble through several answers. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025 The Padres fans were, instead, the portrait of strength and sportsmanship, roaring and waving yellow towels until finally howling themselves hoarse when Tanner Scott struck out Shohei Ohtani looking in the eighth inning to end the Dodgers’ best last chance. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2024 Another about Harlan arguing with Ray Bradbury (America’s sweetest doomsday prophet) about Walt Disney and America and capitalism — the two of them shouting themselves hoarse for hours because neither would give up an inch of rhetorical ground. Jason Sheehan, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for hoarse

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hos, hors, probably from Old Norse *hārs, hāss; akin to Old English hās hoarse, Old High German heis

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hoarse was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hoarse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoarse. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

hoarse

adjective
ˈhō(ə)rs How to pronounce hoarse (audio)
ˈhȯ(ə)rs
hoarser; hoarsest
1
: harsh in sound
2
: having a rough voice
a cold made me hoarse
hoarsely adverb
hoarseness noun

Medical Definition

hoarse

adjective
hoarser; hoarsest
1
: rough or harsh in sound
a hoarse voice
2
: having a hoarse voice
was hoarse from shouting
hoarsely adverb
hoarseness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on hoarse

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!