whisper
Americanverb (used without object)
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whispers,
present (3rd person singular)
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whispered,
past participle, past
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whispering
present participle
-
to speak with soft, hushed sounds, using the breath, lips, etc., but with no vibration of the vocal cords.
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Phonetics. to produce utterance substituting breath for phonation.
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to talk softly and privately (often implying gossip, slander, plotting, or the like).
The king knew that the courtiers were whispering.
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(of trees, water, breezes, etc.) to make a soft, rustling sound like that of whispering.
verb (used with object)
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whispers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
whispered,
past participle, past
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whispering
present participle
-
to utter with soft, low sounds, using the breath, lips, etc..
He whispered endearments to her.
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Phonetics. to utter (speech sounds) substituting breath for phonation.
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to say or tell in a whisper; tell privately.
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to speak to or tell (a person) in a whisper or privately.
noun
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whispers
plural
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the mode of utterance, or the voice, of a person who whispers.
to speak in a whisper.
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a word or remark uttered by whispering.
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a rumor or insinuation.
Whispers circulated about the affair.
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a soft, rustling sound like a whisper.
the whisper of leaves in the wind.
verb
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to speak or utter (something) in a soft hushed tone, esp without vibration of the vocal cords
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(intr) to speak secretly or furtively, as in promoting intrigue, gossip, etc
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(intr) (of leaves, trees, etc) to make a low soft rustling sound
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(tr) to utter or suggest secretly or privately
to whisper treason
noun
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a low soft voice
to speak in a whisper
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something uttered in such a voice
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a low soft rustling sound
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a trace or suspicion
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informal a rumour or secret
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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whispersimple
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whisperssimple
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have whisperedperfect
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has whisperedperfect
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am whisperingprogressive
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are whisperingprogressive
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is whisperingprogressive
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have been whisperingperfect progressive
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has been whisperingperfect progressive
Past
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whisperedsimple
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had whisperedperfect
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was whisperingprogressive
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were whisperingprogressive
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had been whisperingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of whisper
First recorded before 950; Middle English whisperen (verb), Old English hwisprian; akin to German wispern, Old Norse hviskra, hvīsla “to whistle”; cf. whine
Explanation
Psst! When you speak very quietly, so that hardly anyone can hear, you're whispering, or speaking in a whisper. A whisper is the opposite of a shout. When teachers talk about using your outside voice (when you're outside) and your inside voice (for speaking normally), the whisper is even quieter than the inside voice. This word can apply to other sounds too: you could say the wind is whispering. Whispers really do sound a lot like "Psst psst psst" to anyone who can't hear the exact words. You're likely to hear a lot of whispering in the library.
Vocabulary lists containing whisper
"Charlotte's Web": Chapter One
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Vocabulary from poems about communication
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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.
See Examples For:
Some whisper Streeting may replace her, although he denied to me he'd been offered the job by Burnham.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
It belonged to the fans, and any whisper of corporate interference would feel inauthentic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Watching Graham break into tears and whisper, “You really scared me,” is one of the most vulnerable moments I’ve witnessed in the last six months.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
At the time, she and Shell suspected Cipriani was behind an online whisper campaign to spread rumors about Shell just as he was trying to mount a comeback at Paramount.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
A calm, steady voice seemed to whisper in his mind: almost as if Fa were with him.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Shabbos whispers a quiet but profoundly countercultural truth: Your worth isn’t measured by your productivity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Together they exchanged whispers about an artist’s unknown whereabouts and whether or not they would catch him on his descent to the first floor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
The couple have said almost nothing about it, but you can't book New York's biggest indoor concert venue for an entire weekend without causing a few whispers.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
"Take that to the bank," whispers Henderson after a the first run-through.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
“I’m really glad to see you three,” she whispers finally.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
A place whispered about online as though it sits just beyond the edges of our known world.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
MIAMI—My escort ducked his head into the empty TSA checkpoint 2 miles outside Miami International Airport and whispered, “We have a member arriving.‘
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Some of these residents believe they have a champion in someone who is shouting the things they’ve whispered.
From Slate ● Jun. 3, 2026
If anyone needs the axiom “Tell me who you’re with, and I’ll tell you who you are” whispered to them every morning as a reminder to do better, it’s Spencer Pratt.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
‘You’ve got me to lose,’ I whispered, my voice feeling like rubble.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
“I want to tell you what they’re whispering about Michiganders out in Washington, because I’ve heard it myself,” Ocasio-Cortez told the crowd at the Detroit rally.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
“He’s whispering to me, ‘Mom, this is your path.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Moved by the spectacle, Albarn asks the band to repeat the song's final chorus, whispering the lyrics like an incantation.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
Macron was among the first foreign leaders to engage in so-called Trump whispering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Durme, durme, I hear him whispering, and I sleep without fear, only with sorrow.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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.
