WHISPER • DICCIONARIO INGLES.COM • Definition of Whisper

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/wˈɪspər/ /hwˈɪspər/ Listen

noun

Whisper n.

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. "The inward voice or whisper can not give a tone." "Soft whispers through the assembly went."

A cautious or timorous speech.

Something communicated in secret or by whispering; a suggestion or insinuation.

A low, sibilant sound. "The whispers of the leaves."

verb

Whisper v. t.

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."

To address in a whisper, or low voice. (Archaic) "And whisper one another in the ear." "Where gentlest breezes whisper souls distressed."

To prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately. (Obs.) "He came to whisper Wolsey."

Whisper v. i. (past & past part. whispered; pres. part. whispering)

To speak softly, or under the breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter words without sonant breath; to talk without that vibration in the larynx which gives sonorous, or vocal, sound. See Whisper, n.

To make a low, sibilant sound or noise. "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."

See images of 'Whisper'

Etymology of 'Whisper'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Whisper" Quotes from Famous Books

... 'lead us not into temptation,' used with waggish and gallant humour to whisper Mrs. Davies, 'You, my dear, are the ...

— Life Of Johnson, Vol. 1 • Boswell, Edited by Birkbeck Hill

... though!" replied Phil in a low, tense whisper. "They are the cries of some poor soul under the torture—'being put to the question' as these fiends of Inquisitors express it. Oh! if I could but lay my hands upon one of them, I would—but come along, lad; we must not dally here. If we are again taken after what we have done our fate ...

— Two Gallant Sons of Devon - A Tale of the Days of Queen Bess • Harry Collingwood

... "Not a whisper. It's always to be a secret who gave it to her. We feared that she might feel as if we thought she had been begging, if she knew the names of the senders,—she is so extremely sensitive. So we just tied a card to the case, ...

— Heart of Gold • Ruth Alberta Brown

... that it carried to Estcourt the sound of distant cannon. When once the sounds had been localised it was possible to examine them more carefully. There were two kinds of reports: one almost a boom, the explosion evidently of some very heavy piece of ordnance; the other only a penetrating whisper, that of ordinary field guns. A heavy cannonade was proceeding. The smaller pieces fired at brief intervals, sometimes three or four shots followed in quick succession. Every few minutes the heavier gun or guns intervened. What was happening? ...

— London to Ladysmith via Pretoria • Winston Spencer Churchill

... Jupiter grant it so! Now then, do you give attention as to what I'd have attended to. In the first place, then, before anything, cause the house to be shut up at once. Take care and don't let any one whisper a ...

— The Captiva and The Mostellaria • Plautus

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