whispering

American  

[hwis-per-ing, wis-] / ˈʰwɪs pər ɪŋ, ˈwɪs- /

noun

1. whispered talk or conversation.

2. rumor, hearsay, or gossip.

3. a whispered sound.

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adjective

1. that whispers; making a sound like a whisper.

2. like a whisper.

3. given to whispering; gossipy.

4. conversing in whispers.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• whisperingly
  adverb
• half-whisperingly
  adverb
• unwhispering
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of whispering

before 1000; Middle English (noun), Old English hwisprunge. See whisper, -ing ², -ing ¹

Explanation

Whispering is what you do when you speak so softly that you can barely be heard. Most teachers have a rule that there's no whispering allowed while the class is taking a test. Whispering involves using your breath, rather than your vocal cords, to speak very quietly. You might hear whispering in the quiet section of the library or during a play or movie — it's used for communicating secrets or simply to avoid bothering other people. The word can also be used as an adjective for sounds that resemble a whisper, like the whispering wind through the trees on a breezy day.

Example Sentences

The most extreme test phrases were almost total "nonsense", such as "Goetterdaemmerung's corpus haemorrhaged through cryptographic hash, eschaton pooling in existential void beneath fluorescent hum. Photons whispering prayers" -- which it rated highly.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Through the crack under the closet door, she said, she saw feet traipsing through the bedroom and heard men whispering in a foreign language.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

“People have come in the shop whispering ‘did you hear Taylor Swift filmed here?’” said Kate Sims, who works in a health store in the mall.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

I could practically hear my female ancestors whispering, Just go chop the onions.

From Salon • Feb. 18, 2026

I wake up after a fitful night to the sound of urgent whispering on the other side of the door.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman