whisper
English · Thesaurus
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whisper
- /ˈ(h)wɪspə/ UK
- /ˈ(h)wɪspɚ/ US
Rhymes with -ɪspə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
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.
noun 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.
- A rumor. There are whispers of rebellion all around.
- 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.
- 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 […]
- 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. These
verb whispers · whispering · whispered
-
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 sign
Similar: breathe
-
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."
Similar: breathe
- To mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper. They might buzz and whisper it one to another.
- To make a low, sibilant sound. the hollow, whispering breeze
- To speak with suspicion or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting. All that hate me whisper together against me.
- To address in a whisper, or low voice. and whisper one another in the ear
- To prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately. He came to whisper Wolsey.
- 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."
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: rustle, rustling, murmur, rumor, shade, secrecy, please, blow, gasp, breath, trace, blast, shadow, rumour, grayling, mutter
Translations
Every language
noun act of speaking in a quiet voice
| Español | susurro, chamuyo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 속삭임 soksagim |
| 日本語 | 囁き sasayaki, 私語 shigo |
| 中文 | 耳語 /耳语 ěryǔ, 低語 /低语 dīyǔ, 私語 /私语 sīyǔ |
| Português | murmúrio, sussurro |
| Français | chuchotement |
| Deutsch | Geflüster, Flüstern, Wispern |
| Italiano | sussurro |
| Ελληνικά | ψίθυρος psíthyros, μουρμούρισμα mourmoúrisma |
| Română | șoaptă |
| Русский | шёпот šópot |
| Tiếng Việt | rì rầm, thì thầm |
| العربية | هَمْس hams |
| עברית | לָחַשׁ lakhásh |
noun rumor
| Español | rumor |
|---|---|
| Italiano | voci di corridoio |
noun faint trace or hint
| Español | rastro |
|---|
verb talk in a quiet voice
| Español | susurrar, chamuyar, gaguear, shushushar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 속삭이다 soksagida |
| 日本語 | 囁く sasayaku |
| 中文 | 耳語 /耳语 ěryǔ, 呢喃 nínán, 嘀咕 dígu, 打喳喳 dǎ chācha, 打耳唧 dǎ ěrjī, 哼唧 hēngji |
| हिन्दी | फुसफुसाना phusphusānā |
| Português | murmurar, sussurrar, cochichar |
| Français | chuchoter, susurrer, murmurer |
| Deutsch | flüstern, wispern, wispeln |
| Italiano | sussurrare |
| Ελληνικά | ψιθυρίζω psithyrízo |
| Română | a șopti, a susura |
| Русский | шепта́ть šeptátʹ, шепну́ть šepnútʹ, прошепта́ть prošeptátʹ, шушу́каться šušúkatʹsja |
| Tiếng Việt | nói thầm, thì thầm |
| العربية | هَمَسَ hamasa, وَسْوَسَ waswasa |
| עברית | לָחַשׁ lakhásh |
Talk about this word "whisper." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/whisper. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. whisper. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/whisper "whisper." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/whisper.Cite this
@misc{whisper_2026,
title = {whisper},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/whisper},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
