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whisper
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As a noun, whisper means the act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially, without vibration of the vocal cords. As a verb, it means speak softly, or under the breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand.
Meanings of whisper
12 meaningsnoun
The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially, without vibration of the vocal cords.
“I spoke in a near whisper”
usually in the pluralA rumor.
“There are whispers of rebellion all around.”
figurativeA 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.
internetA private message to an individual in a chat room.
A light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
Similar: rustle, rustling, whispering
verb
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.
To mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper.
To make a low, sibilant sound.
To speak with suspicion or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting.
Older and rare meanings (2)
obsoleteTo address in a whisper, or low voice.
obsoleteTo prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately.
Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).