whisper
whisper is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 9 senses, and appears in Roget's Thesaurus (1911) with 40 related terms. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.
Definitions
- 1.To make a low, sibilant sound or noise. The hollow, whispering breeze. Thomson.
- 2.To speak with suspicion, or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting. All that hate me whisper together against me. Ps. xli.
- 3.1. To utter in a low and nonvocal tone; to say under the breath; hence, to mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper. They might buzz and whisper it one to another. Bentley.
- 4.To address in a whisper, or low voice. [Archaic] And whisper one another in the ear. Shak. Where gentlest breezes whisper souls distressed. Keble.
- 5.To prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately. [Obs.] "He came to whisper Wolsey." Shak.
- 6.A low, soft, sibilant voice or utterance, which can be heard only by those near at hand; voice or utterance that employs only breath sound without tone, friction against the edges of the vocal cords and arytenoid cartilages taking the place of the vibration of the cords that produces tone; sometimes, in a limited sense, the sound produced by such friction as distinguished from breath sound made by friction against parts of the mouth. See Voice, n., 2, and Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 5, 153, 154. The inward voice or whisper can not give a tone. Bacon. Soft whispers through the assembly went. Dryden.
- 7.A cautious or timorous speech. South.
- 8.Something communicated in secret or by whispering; a suggestion or insinuation.
- 9.A low, sibilant sound. "The whispers of the leaves." Tennyson.
Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
Synonyms
Related terms (Roget's 1911)
- absence
- and
- aphonia
- aphonous
- aphony
- bated
- breath
- breathless
- broken
- childish
- cracked
- cut
- deaf
- drown
- dry
- dumb
- dumbness
- dumfounder
- dummy
- dysphony
- faintness
- falsetto
- finger
- fish
- gag
- harsh
- hoarse
- hollow
- husky
- inarticulate
- inaudible
- keep
- low
- mackerel
- mouth
- muffle
- mum
- mute
- muzzle
- obmutescence
Source: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
Related questions
Reverse-dictionary questions
Definition-first questions whose answer is whisper.
- What is to make a low, sibilant sound or noise. The hollow, whispering breeze. Thomson called?
- What is to speak with suspicion, or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting. All that hate me whisper together against me. Ps. xli called?
- What is 1. To utter in a low and nonvocal tone; to say under the breath; hence, to mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper. They might buzz and whisper it one to another. Bentley called?
- What is to address in a whisper, or low voice. [Archaic] And whisper one another in the ear. Shak. Where gentlest breezes whisper souls distressed. Keble called?
- What is to prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately. [Obs.] "He came to whisper Wolsey." Shak called?
- What is something communicated in secret or by whispering; a suggestion or insinuation called?
- What is a low, sibilant sound. "The whispers of the leaves." Tennyson called?
Sources
- Definitions: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Synonyms: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/word/whisper
- Steward: Jason Burns