whisper

Meaning

Noun

1. The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially, without vibration of the vocal cords.
2. A rumor.
3. A faint trace or hint (of something).
4. A low rustling sound, like that of the wind in leaves.
5. A private message to an individual in a chat room.

Verb

1. 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.
2. To mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper.
3. To make a low, sibilant sound.
4. To speak with suspicion or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting.
5. (obsolete) To address in a whisper, or low voice.
6. (obsolete) To prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately.

Synonyms

murmur

whispering

mutter

speak softly

rustle

mumble

susurration

babble

low voice

rustling

hum

chatter

undertone

voicelessness

blow softly

speak under one’s breath

breathe

buzz

faint sound

whir

hiss

rumour

sigh

sough

sound

🔉

talk

🗣️

undercurrent

vibrate

whistle

whizz

susurrate

talk to oneself

utter a sound

secret talk

in a whisper

2

mutter to oneself

remurmur

persuade clandestinely

say under one’s breath

bad language

burble

creep

drone

garrulous

gossip

groan

grouch

growl

hint

in a low voice

joke

🤣

meander

pipe

prompt

purl

purr

quietly

reverberate

rumor

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈ(h)wɪspə/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: whisperen

Inherited from Old English: hwisprian

Cognate with Dutch: wisperen

Cognate with German: wispern

Cognate with Danish: hviske

Cognate with Icelandic: hvískra

Cognate with Norwegian Bokmål: hviske

Cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk: kviskre

Cognate with Swedish: viska

Cognate with English: whistle

In summary

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.