- present participle of whisper.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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:
Wilson, for her part, walked away from the film with an impression of Nolan’s efforts that makes a person picture the Muse Calliope whispering in her ear, “Drag him.”
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
“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
After the podcast, Swift had "a lot of people whispering in my ear", encouraging her to hook up with Travis.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
The monkey got on his shoulder and started whispering, without being asked any questions.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
However, there was broad and vociferous support for Baroness Kidron, a film director and digital rights campaigner, who accused ministers of being swayed by the "whisperings of Silicon Valley" asking them to "redefine theft".
From BBC ● May 19, 2025
That’s no different from the way the first season tricked us into obsessing over those mud and hair totems and whisperings about the Yellow King for nothing.
From Salon ● Jan. 14, 2024
The city is quiet apart from the whisperings of all-night radio phone-ins, forging the insomniacs, the lovelorn and the lost into a fleeting community.
From Reuters ● Feb. 13, 2022
Such contrasts arise throughout: archaic choral polyphony and modernist whisperings, keening string clusters and plaintive drones.
From New York Times ● Nov. 1, 2019
I could hear whisperings from the confessional on the other side.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
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.
