whisper
to speak with soft, hushed sounds, using the breath, lips, etc., but with no vibration of the vocal cords.
Phonetics. to produce utterance substituting breath for phonation.
to talk softly and privately (often implying gossip, slander, plotting, or the like): The king knew that the courtiers were whispering.
(of trees, water, breezes, etc.) to make a soft, rustling sound like that of whispering.
to utter with soft, low sounds, using the breath, lips, etc.: He whispered endearments to her.
Phonetics. to utter (speech sounds) substituting breath for phonation.
to say or tell in a whisper; tell privately.
to speak to or tell (a person) in a whisper or privately.
the mode of utterance, or the voice, of a person who whispers: to speak in a whisper.
a word or remark uttered by whispering.
a rumor or insinuation: Whispers circulated about the affair.
a soft, rustling sound like a whisper: the whisper of leaves in the wind.
Origin of whisper
1Words Nearby whisper
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use whisper in a sentence
The whispers have played out alongside long-running discussions about the lack of clear leadership on park issues, duplication of efforts and overhead among various Balboa Park groups and struggles to execute major park initiatives and projects.
Two Balboa Park Groups Are in Talks to Merge | Lisa Halverstadt | October 10, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoDuring the summer, there were whispers among Parisian food circles and on social media of assault allegations involving Sekine.
There are whispers of McDonald’s locations that have breakfast buffets.
Fast-Food Buffets Are a Thing of the Past. Some Doubt They Ever Even Existed. | MM Carrigan | September 29, 2020 | EaterThe whisper number, for example, calls for just 670,000 new jobs, about half of what economists expect.
Jittery investors eye today’s big jobs report as markets rebound from an epic sell-off | Bernhard Warner | September 4, 2020 | FortuneOnce Greene and Lobb moved it into the symplectic world, the problem gave way with a whisper.
New Geometric Perspective Cracks Old Problem About Rectangles | Kevin Hartnett | June 25, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
He speaks in a whisper, flanked by the two locals who set up the meeting.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan | Umar Farooq | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe substitute nurse says to him in a stage whisper, “You know, the doctor says no vodka.”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSome residents took to the secret-sharing app whisper to disclose their biggest fears.
‘I’m Flipping Out’: Dallas Residents’ Worst Ebola Fears | The Daily Beast | October 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSupporters of the Putin regime were pointed out in a whisper.
From Moscow to Queens, Down Sergei Dovlatov Way | Daniel Genis | September 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTDarren was the kind of man who'd lug a sofa bed up three flights of stairs without a whisper of complaint.
Let Us Now Praise Famous Rednecks and Their Unjustly Unsung Kin | Allison Glock | August 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThese words were uttered in a guarded whisper by a boy about seventeen years of age, to a great dog that stood by his side.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. DunnThe voice died out in a broken whisper, and two hot tears fell on Black Sheep's forehead.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard KiplingHe saw the tips of the fir trees shimmer, and heard them whisper as the breeze turned their needles towards the light.
Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon Blackwood"The angels don't whisper such blessed dreams to me," returned Dorothy, sadly.
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieA voice came from somewhere, a voice asking somebody also in a whisper to put the lights out.
The Weight of the Crown | Fred M. White
British Dictionary definitions for whisper
/ (ˈwɪspə) /
to speak or utter (something) in a soft hushed tone, esp without vibration of the vocal cords
(intr) to speak secretly or furtively, as in promoting intrigue, gossip, etc
(intr) (of leaves, trees, etc) to make a low soft rustling sound
(tr) to utter or suggest secretly or privately: to whisper treason
a low soft voice: to speak in a whisper
something uttered in such a voice
a low soft rustling sound
a trace or suspicion
informal a rumour or secret
Origin of whisper
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with whisper
see stage whisper.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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