lisp
lisp
1 American
[lisp]
/ lɪsp /
noun
-
lisps
plural
-
Phonetics.
-
the systematic articulation of s and z in a forward, dental position, like th- sounds, as a manifestation of a speech disorder or a stylistic affectation.
-
any unconventional articulation of the sibilants, as the pronunciation of s and z with the tongue between the teeth lingual protrusion lisp, close to or touching the upper front teeth dental lisp, or raised so that the breath is emitted laterally lateral lisp.
-
-
the act, habit, or sound of lisping.
verb (used with or without object)
-
lisps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lisped,
past participle, past
-
lisping
present participle
-
to pronounce or speak with a lisp.
-
to speak imperfectly, especially in a childish manner.
LISP
2
American
[lisp]
/ lɪsp /
noun
Computers.
lisp
1
British
/ lɪsp /
noun
-
the articulation of s and z like or nearly like the th sounds in English thin and then respectively
-
the habit or speech defect of pronouncing s and z in this manner
-
the sound of a lisp in pronunciation
verb
-
to use a lisp in the pronunciation of (speech)
-
to speak or pronounce imperfectly or haltingly
LISP
2
British
/ lɪsp /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
lispsimple
-
lispssimple
-
have lispedperfect
-
has lispedperfect
-
am lispingprogressive
-
are lispingprogressive
-
is lispingprogressive
-
have been lispingperfect progressive
-
has been lispingperfect progressive
Past
-
lispedsimple
-
had lispedperfect
-
was lispingprogressive
-
were lispingprogressive
-
had been lispingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lisp1
First recorded before 1100; Middle English wlispen, lipsen, Old English āwlyspian; akin to Dutch lisp(el)en, German lispeln, Norwegian leipsa
Origin of LISP2
lis(t) p(rocessing)
Explanation
A lisp is a manner of speaking so that s and other similar consonants are blurred into more of a th- sound. Most little kids have a bit of a lisp when they first start speaking. If you speak with a lisp, you can also say that you tend to lisp — and if you lisp in a way that makes it hard for people to understand what you're saying, you can visit a speech therapist who will teach you to speak without a lisp. Sometimes dental work — braces, or a mouth that's numb from having cavities filled — can give you a temporary lisp. Lisp comes from the imitative Old English wlisp.
Vocabulary lists containing lisp
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Instead of "Said": Words That Sound Like What They Mean
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Look Both Ways
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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:
I spent time with him, I didn't hear a lisp.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2024
They were specifically made to preserve his natural lisp and so important he carried two sets with him at all times.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2024
As a result, Moore decided that Gracie needed a lisp.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2024
When I was a kid, I started doing elocution lessons because I had a really bad lisp.
From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2023
An old friend had got a girl with a lisp pregnant, had married her and was jolly happy.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
The programming behind Aaron - written in LISP, which was invented by one of the founding fathers of artificial intelligence, John McCarthy, back in the 1960s - attempts to do just that.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2015
In 1958 — two years after organizing the first conference on artificial intelligence — McCarthy invented the computer programming language LISP.
From Nature ● Nov. 2, 2011
Now rare as jargon, though still used as techspeak in Common LISP.
From The Jargon File, Version 4.0.0, 24 Jul 1996 by Eric S. Raymond
McCarthy in 1959 was turning his interest from chess to a new way of talking to the computer, the whole new "language" called LISP.
From Hackers, Heroes of the Computer Revolution Chapters 1 and 2 by Steven Levy
Nearly every hacker knows one of C or LISP, and most good ones are fluent in both.
From The Jargon File, Version 4.0.0, 24 Jul 1996 by Eric S. Raymond
“A lot of people who have lisps are not children — they simply have a speech thing,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2024
They are two different entities that operate as one, babbling to each other as pint-size radio announcers with slight lisps.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2022
Her dad also lisps very slightly on “S” sounds but it’s not as pronounced.
From Slate ● Jan. 28, 2021
‘Have I missed it?’ lisps Commodus, springing out of his chariot.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 31, 2016
A five-year-old is cute when he lisps and stutters.
From "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
His voice, slightly lisped, pinballs from story to story, often landing back at the place he started.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2022
One of the little girls handed her a copy to inscribe and lisped her name.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 2, 2017
The PG-13 lyrics are lisped and gulped into sonic oatmeal.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2016
“I’m helping my brother,” he proudly lisped, staring at his sibling, Abdul-Rahman, 13, in adoration.
From New York Times ● Jun. 12, 2015
With a sigh, Amarante lisped, “Jose Mondragon is irrigating his old man’s beanfield over there on the west side.”
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Traditional elements of both bachata and música mexicana appear, as the duo touts their luxurious lifestyles over a lisping guiro and a rousing trumpet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
He gave each character such a unique voice and accent that I can still hear his lisping version of Gollum in Tolkien’s trilogy.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2019
This bizarre service has lisping jazz-pixie Paloma Faith reading Peter Rabbit stories in a coochie-coo voice, or singing Bye Baby Bunting, or making a shushing noise at you.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 19, 2018
In another era, Mr. Wilder’s Harpo Marx-like mop of golden hair, his slight physique and his soft, almost lisping voice might have hindered a career as a leading man.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 29, 2016
Already there had crept into her speech a halting, lisping quality that, though I did not know it, was the shadow of her future.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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