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to whisper

to whisper

549 1.0
To speak very quietly using only breath so one person can hear
  • verb
  • /ˈwɪspər/
: susurrar
  • "So good of you to come," he said, then he whispered, "What was your name again?"
  • whisper into your ear
  • whisper words
  • whispered conversations

They're not my brothers, Lydia whispered, her fingers curled on the glass.

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Examples

  • The night before we lost the ship, he whispered something in her ear.

  • He leaned closer and whispered his secret so that only she could hear.

  • Are you going to whisper this to me in bed tonight again?

  • "No, it's not for Father," she managed to whisper, as if she were guilty of something.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We have to whisper because it's night time, sweetheart.

  • OK, I'm going to whisper my number to Michaela.

  • "Maybe we should have gone north," he whispered, looking to where Green Water slept.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I believe your creator is constantly whispering into you what your purpose is.

  • "We need you now, Kyosti," she whispered, intense, her face hidden in his hair.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Then she'd leaned forward to whisper in my ear like a priestess of the oracle.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

to mumble
vsto whisper
116 4.9

To speak in a low, unclear voice that is hard to understand

uses breath rather than vocal cords to produce soft speech for one listener
to murmur
vsto whisper
84 4.2

To speak in a low, quiet voice, often to complain or say something softly

uses breath to send a private message to one person
to keep (someone's) voice down
vsto whisper
  • Informal
44 3.4

Speak quietly so you do not disturb others

uses breath to speak privately to one listener not mainly to avoid disturbance
breathed
vsto whisper
1 7.0

Spoken very softly so it is almost a whisper

uses breath so is aimed at a single listener

Antonyms

690 1.0

To speak very loudly to get attention or show strong feeling

Phrasal Verbs

to whisper through
  • Literature
2 4.2

A soft quiet sound that moves through things like wind in grass

Compounds

whisper campaign
  • Literature
2 7.5

A secret effort to spread bad rumors about someone to make people think less of them

A low voice that actors use so the audience can hear it

Chinese whisper
  • Offensive
1 7.5

A game where people whisper a message along a line and it often changes

How Quiet

to whisper
549 1.0
to murmur
84 4.2
to mutter
136 3.7
to speak
∞ 1.0
to shout
690 1.0

Surface Forms

whisper infinitive
whispered past
whispered past participle
whispering present participle
whispers third person singular

Etymology

Whisper comes from the soft sound root whis-, so to whisper is to speak very quietly with your breath so only one person can hear you.