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Synonyms

whist

1 American  
[hwist, wist] / ʰwɪst, wɪst /

noun

  1. a card game, an early form of bridge, but without bidding.

whist 2 American  
[hwist, wist] / ʰwɪst, wɪst /

interjection

  1. hush! silence! be still!

adjective

  1. hushed; silent; still.

noun

  1. Chiefly Irish. silence.

    Hold your whist.

verb (used without object)

  1. British Dialect. to be or become silent.

verb (used with object)

  1. British Dialect. to silence.

whist 1 British  
/ wɪst /

noun

  1. a card game for four in which the two sides try to win the balance of the 13 tricks: forerunner of bridge

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
whist 2 British  
/ hwist /

interjection

  1. a variant of whisht

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of whist1

1655–65; earlier whisk, perhaps identical with whisk, though sense relationship uncertain

Origin of whist2

1350–1400, Middle English; imitative

Explanation

Whist is a card game for four players that's similar to bridge and hearts. If you enjoy crazy eights, you'll probably also like playing whist. Whist is a fairly simple game in which two pairs of partners team up to try and take as many tricks (sequences of cards played in one turn) as possible. To win a whist trick, you must play the highest card in a particular suit. Whist has many variations, one of which led to the invention of bridge. Whist may come from whisk, in the sense of whisking the cards away, or its obsolete meaning, "silence."

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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.

His family - including eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren - visit him often, which he loves, and play cards with him, including whist.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2025

They are often held when family and friends gather, get animated and talk smack amid a spades or bid whist card game where jokers and deuces are always wild.

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2024

Love, Peace & Spades is a safe and inclusive space for Black people to enjoy one another and play Uno, bid whist, Tunk, dominoes and spades.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2023

Also, this is likely the only hip-hop song in history to mention the card game whist.

From New York Times • Jul. 28, 2023

In the foyer, tables had been assembled, and the Young Men were seated about them, playing at faro and whist.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

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.