whisper

UK/ˈ(h)wɪspə//ˈ(h)wɪspɚ/

whisper noun: the act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially without vibration of the vocal cords; the sound thus produced.

Image: US Embassy from New Zealand, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

whisper (plural whispers)

The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially without vibration of the vocal cords; the sound thus produced.
- I spoke in a near whisper.
- "Now, look here, Jim Hawkins," he said, in a steady whisper, that was no more than audible.1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC
(plural-normally) A rumor.
- There are whispers of rebellion all around.
- Time can never mend / The careless whispers of a good friend1984, George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley, “Careless Whisper”
(figuratively) A faint trace or hint (of something).
- The soup had just a whisper of basil.
A low rustling sound, like that of the wind in leaves.
(Internet) A private message to an individual in a chat room.
- The invisibility of private interactions in the form of whispers resolved an ethical concern in the research but reduced our ability to gauge the volume of interaction […]2002, Ralph Schroeder, The Social Life of Avatars, page 218
- Anyone logged in to the chat room can click on an individual name, highlighting it, and send a message — a whisper — that will be seen only by the selected person.2004, Caroline A. Haythornthwaite, Michelle M. Kazmer, Learning, Culture and Community in Online Education, page 179
A projection of intention and influence caused by sending thoughts or desires outward through softly-spoken words or subtle mental or energetic means.
- "Witches feel that anyone who is against them has to be destroyed. The method is to give the victim what we call a whispering. It is similar to the aborigine ceremony in Australia of singing someone to death. The witches gather in a circle and focus their hate on the persons they have in mind....1965, Attila Zohar, Kings Cross Black Magic, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 66

Verb

whisper (third-person singular simple present whispers, present participle whispering, simple past and past participle whispered)

(intransitive) To speak softly or under one's breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter words without sonant breath; to talk without that vibration of the vocal cords which gives sonorous, or vocal, sound.
- I can hear them whisper as we pass by
  It's a bad sign, bad sign2014 October 27, Taylor Swift, Ryan Tedder, “I Know Places (Taylor's Version)”, in 1989 (Taylor's Version), performed by Taylor Swift, published 27 October 2023
Synonyms:

breathe
(transitive) To say (something) softly or under one's breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter (something) without sonant breath, without that vibration of the vocal cords which gives sonorous, or vocal, sound.
- Whether he whispered sweet nothings to her in Stengelese is not known, but he did call her "the best catch I ever made in my career."1981 April 15, Ira Berkow, “DRAMA IN 'STENGELESE: YOU CAN LOOK IT UP”, in The New York Times
Synonyms:

breathe
(transitive) To mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper.
- They might buzz and whisper it one to another.1692, Richard Bentley, [A Confutation of Atheism] (please specify the sermon), London: [Thomas Parkhurst; Henry Mortlock], published 1692–1693
(intransitive) To make a low, sibilant sound.
- the hollow, whispering breezea. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Spring”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC
- […] hear thy laurel whisper sweet
  About the ledges of the hill.1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXXVII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 57
(intransitive) To speak with suspicion or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting.
- All that hate me whisper together against me.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 41:7
(obsolete, transitive) To address in a whisper, or low voice.
- and whisper one another in the earc. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- where gentlest breezes whisper souls distressed1827, [John Keble], The Christian Year: Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holydays throughout the Year, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [B]y W. Baxter, for J....
(obsolete, transitive) To prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately.
- He came to whisper Wolsey.1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio)...
- [A] simple youth whispered me that he was an Illuminé, and carried on an intercourse with the invisible world.1816, [Walter Scott], chapter XIII, in The Antiquary. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC...
(Internet) To send a private message to an individual in a chat room.
To exercise skill in taming or training a creature.
To project intention and influence events by sending thoughts or desires outward through softly-spoken words or subtle mental or energetic means; to subject someone or something to this influence.
- "Witches feel that anyone who is against them has to be destroyed. The method is to give the victim what we call a whispering. [...] The most frightening this is to be whispered when you're driving a car - it's nerve-racking."1965, Attila Zohar, Kings Cross Black Magic, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 66

whisper meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

whisper in Hindi

talk in a quiet voice: फुसफुसाना phusphusānā

whisper in Tamil

act of speaking in a quiet voice: குசுகுசு kucukucu, கிசுகிசு kicukicu, கிசுகிசுப்பு kicukicuppu
rumor: கிசுகிசு kicukicu
faint trace or hint: துளி tuḷi
talk in a quiet voice: குசுகுசு kucukucu, கிசுகிசு kicukicu

whisper in Urdu

talk in a quiet voice: فسفسانا fusfusānā

More languagesFewer languages

whisper in Bengali: ফিসফিস করে বলতে
whisper in Telugu: గుసగుస gusagusa, గుసగుసలాడు gusagusalāḍu
whisper in Malayalam: മന്ത്രിക്കുക, ചെവിയിൽ രഹസ്യമായി പറയുക, പതുക്കെ പറയുക
whisper in Kannada: ಪಿಸುಮಾತು, ಪಿಸುನುಡಿ, ಕಿವಿಮಾತು, ಗುಜುಗುಜು
whisper in Punjabi: ਕਾਨਾਫੂਸੀ kānāphūsī
whisper in Gujarati: વ્હીસ્પર, વ્હીસ્પર કરો
whisper in Odia: ଫିସଫିସ କରିବା ପାଇଁ
whisper in Sanskrit: जप् jap, जप jápa, लप् lap
whisper in Nepali: फुक्नु phuknu
whisper in Pashto: پسنېدل pasnedǝ́l
whisper in Tagalog: bulong, bumulong, ibulong
whisper in Arabic: هَمْس hams, هَمَسَ hamasa, وَسْوَسَ waswasa
whisper in Malay: bisikan, bisik-bisik, desas-desus, bisik
whisper in Indonesian: pembisikan, bisikan, berbisik, membisiki
whisper in Persian: درگوشی dareguši, زمزمه zemzeme, پچپچ peč-peč, نجوا najvâ
whisper in Thai: เสียงกระซิบ sǐiang grà-síp, กระซิบ grà-síp
whisper in Vietnamese: rì rầm, thì thầm, nói thầm
whisper in Myanmar: တီးတိုးပြော ti:tui:prau:

Examples of whisper in a sentence

You know love is everything you say / A whisper, a word / Promises you give2005 December 2, “Amarantine”, in Roma Ryan (lyrics), Enya (music), Amarantine, performed by Enya:
The method is to give the victim what we call a whispering.1965, Attila Zohar, Kings Cross Black Magic, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 66:

All 40 example sentences with whisper

Synonyms of whisper

breathe

Forms of whisper

Noun
plural	whispers
Verb
third-person singular present	whispers
present participle	whispering
past participle	whispered
past	whispered

Past tense of whisper: whispered

Plural of whisper: whispers

Origin of whisper

From Middle English whisperen, from Old English hwisprian (“to mutter, murmur, whisper”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwisprōn, from Proto-Germanic *hwisprōną (“to hiss, whistle, whisper”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱweys-, *ḱwey- (“to hiss, whistle, whisper”). Cognate with Dutch wisperen (“to whisper”), German wispern (“to mumble, whisper”). Related also to Danish hviske (“to whisper”), Icelandic hvískra (“to whisper”), Norwegian Bokmål hviske, kviskre (“to whisper”), Norwegian Nynorsk kviskre, kviskra (“to whisper”), Swedish viska (“to whisper”). More at English whistle.

Words formed from whisper

Phrases with whisper

Words that rhyme with whisper

Questions about whisper

What does whisper mean?: Whisper means the act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially without vibration of the vocal cords; the sound thus produced.
What is whisper in Hindi?: Whisper in Hindi is फुसफुसाना (phusphusānā). See Whisper meaning in Hindi.
How do you use whisper in a sentence?: You know love is everything you say / A whisper, a word / Promises you give
What part of speech is whisper?: Whisper can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce whisper?: Whisper is pronounced /ˈ(h)wɪspə/ (UK).
What is the plural of whisper?: The plural of whisper is whispers.

Words near whisper in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: whisper (page history and authors); whisper (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); whisper (Bengali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); whisper (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); whisper (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ਕਾਨਾਫੂਸੀ (Punjabi) (page history and authors); whisper (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); whisper (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); जप (Sanskrit) (page history and authors); फुक्नु (Nepali) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-whisper.ogg.

Cite this entry: “whisper.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/whisper. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.