What is the difference between whisper and breathe?
whisper | breathe |
The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially, without vibration of the vocal cords.
* 1883 , :
(usually in plural) A rumor.
(figurative) A faint trace or hint (of something).
(internet) A private message to an individual in a chat room.
* 2002 , Ralph Schroeder, The Social Life of Avatars (page 218)
* 2004 , Caroline A. Haythornthwaite, Michelle M. Kazmer, Learning, Culture and Community in Online Education (page 179)
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.
* Bentley
To make a low, sibilant sound.
* Thomson
To speak with suspicion or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting.
* Bible, Psalms xli. 7
(obsolete) To address in a whisper, or low voice.
* Shakespeare
* Keble
(obsolete) To prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately.
* Shakespeare
To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
To take in needed gases and expel waste gases in a similar way.
:Fish have gills so they can breathe underwater.
To use (a gas) to sustain life.
:While life as we know it depends on oxygen, scientists have speculated that alien life forms might breathe chlorine or methane.
Figuratively, to live.
:I will not allow it, as long as I still breathe .
*(rfdate) Shakespeare
*:I am in health, I breathe .
*(rfdate) Sir Walter Scott
*:Breathes there a man with soul so dead?
To draw something into the lungs.
:Try not to breathe too much smoke.
To expel air from the lungs, exhale.
:If you breathe on a mirror, it will fog up.
To pass like breath; noiselessly or gently; to emanate; to blow gently.
:The wind breathes through the trees.
*(rfdate) Shakespeare
*:The air breathes upon us here most sweetly.
*(rfdate) Byron
*:There breathes a living fragrance from the shore.
To give an impression of, to exude.
:The decor positively breathes classical elegance.
To whisper quietly.
:He breathed the words into her ear, but she understood them all.
To exchange gases with the environment.
:Garments made of certain new materials breathe well and keep the skin relatively dry during exercise.
To rest; to stop and catch one's breath.
*:
*:Thenne they lasshed to gyder many sad strokes / & tracyd and trauercyd now bakward / now sydelyng hurtlyng to gyders lyke two bores / & that same tyme they felle both grouelyng to the erthe / Thus they fought styll withoute ony reposynge two houres and neuer brethed
*(rfdate) Shakespeare
*:Well! breathe awhile, and then to it again!
To stop, to give (a horse) an opportunity to catch its breath.
:At higher altitudes you need to breathe your horse more often.
In intransitive terms the difference between whisper and breathe
is that whisper is to speak with suspicion or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting while breathe is to exchange gases with the environment.In transitive terms the difference between whisper and breathe
is that whisper is to mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper while breathe is to stop, to give a horse an opportunity to catch its breath.As a noun whisper
is the act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially, without vibration of the vocal cords.whisper
English
Noun
(Whispering) (en noun)- "Now, look here, Jim Hawkins," he said, in a steady whisper , that was no more than audible.
- There are whispers of rebellion all around.
- The soup had just a whisper of basil.
- The invisibility of private interactions in the form of whispers resolved an ethical concern in the research but reduced our ability to gauge the volume of interaction
- Anyone logged in to the chat room can click on an individual name, highlighting it, and send a message — a whisper — that will be seen only by the selected person.
Derived terms
* stage whisper * whisper campaignVerb
(en verb)- They might buzz and whisper it one to another.
- the hollow, whispering breeze
- All that hate me whisper together against me.
- and whisper one another in the ear
- where gentlest breezes whisper souls distressed
- He came to whisper Wolsey.
