Word.ws English Dictionary

whispering

/ˈ(h)wɪspəɹɪŋ/

whispering is the present participle and gerund of whisper.

Adjective

whispering (comparative more whispering, superlative most whispering)

  1. That whispers.
  2. Associated with whispers.

Noun

whispering (plural whisperings)

  1. Something that is whispered; gossip; a rumor.
  2. The sound of whispers;
    • The tendency of modern science is to close this gate—though it can never stop the search for it—the vague desire after some kind of communication, some kind of poetic identification with the soul that reveals itself through the rolling year, the mysterious presence that is felt to lie behind the...1889 March, Walter Besant, “The Eulogy of Richard Jefferies”, in The Gentleman's Magazine, volume 266, number 1899, page 259
  3. The 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

Meaning of whisper

Verb

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

  1. (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
  2. (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
  3. (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
  4. (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
  5. (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
  6. (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]...

See all 16 meanings of whisper

Forms of whispering

Adjective
comparativemore whispering
superlativemost whispering
Noun
pluralwhisperings

Words formed from whispering

Phrases with whispering

Questions about whispering

What does whispering mean?
Whispering means that whispers.
What is whispering the present participle and gerund of?
Whispering is the present participle and gerund of whisper.
What part of speech is whispering?
Whispering can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce whispering?
Whispering is pronounced /ˈ(h)wɪspəɹɪŋ/.

Words near whispering in the dictionary

  1. whisperers
  2. whisperest
  3. whispereth
  4. whisperhood
  5. whisperin'
  6. whispering
  7. whispering campaign
  8. whispering campaigns
  9. whispering galleries
  10. whispering gallery
  11. Whispering Jack

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: whispering (page history and authors); whisper (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:

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

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