Basic+ Word of the Day: whisper

whisper (verb, noun) past tense: whispered

Whisper means ‘to speak with a very quiet voice.’

• Brad whispered into Lydia's ear.
• The couple behind us at the theater whispered through the entire performance.
• If you need to talk at the library, you should whisper.

Whisper is also the act of whispering.

• Martha couldn't understand Edwin when he spoke in a whisper.

Common uses

whisper campaign: a method of persuasion that is based on anonymous rumors. Example: “The senator started a whisper campaign to discredit his opponent.”

Did you know?

A horse whisperer is a trainer who understands and can communicate well with horses. Watch this trailer for the movie The Horse Whisperer. Do you recognize the actress playing the young girl in this clip?

In pop culture

Careless Whisper is a song about the careless whispers of a good friend who tells the singer’s lover that he was cheating on her. Watch George Michael sing this sad song.

There are other meanings of whisper.