NOISE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does noise mean? 

• NOISE (noun)
  The noun NOISE has 6 senses:

1. sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)

2. the auditory experience of sound that lacks musical quality; sound that is a disagreeable auditory experience

3. electrical or acoustic activity that can disturb communication

4. a loud outcry of protest or complaint

5. incomprehensibility resulting from irrelevant information or meaningless facts or remarks

6. the quality of lacking any predictable order or plan

  Familiarity information: NOISE used as a noun is common.

• NOISE (verb)
  The verb NOISE has 1 sense:

1. emit a noise

  Familiarity information: NOISE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• NOISE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Context example:

during the firework display that ended the gala the noise reached 98 decibels

Hypernyms ("noise" is a kind of...):

sound (the sudden occurrence of an audible event)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "noise"):

plop (the noise of a rounded object dropping into a liquid without a splash)

bam; bang; blast; clap; eruption (a sudden very loud noise)

plump (the sound of a sudden heavy fall)

racket (a loud and disturbing noise)

rale; rattle; rattling (a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders))

report (a sharp explosive sound (especially the sound of a gun firing))

rhonchus (a sound like whistling or snoring that is heard with a stethoscope during expiration as air passes through obstructed channels)

grumble; grumbling; rumble; rumbling (a loud low dull continuous noise)

rustle; rustling; whisper; whispering (a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind)

scrape; scraping; scratch; scratching (a harsh noise made by scraping)

scream; screaming; screech; screeching; shriek; shrieking (a high-pitched noise resembling a human cry)

scrunch (a crunching noise)

shrilling (a continuing shrill noise)

sizzle (a sizzling noise)

slam (the noise made by the forceful impact of two objects)

snap (the noise produced by the rapid movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same hand)

snore (the rattling noise produced when snoring)

spatter; spattering; splatter; splattering; splutter; sputter; sputtering (the noise of something spattering or sputtering explosively)

plash; splash (the sound like water splashing)

squawk (the noise of squawking)

squeak (a short high-pitched noise)

squish (the noise of soft mud being walked on)

stridulation (a shrill grating or chirping noise made by some insects by rubbing body parts together)

swoosh; whoosh (the noise produced by the sudden rush of a fluid (a gas or liquid))

thunder (a booming or crashing noise caused by air expanding along the path of a bolt of lightning)

pant (the noise made by a short puff of steam (as from an engine))

banging (a continuing very loud noise)

bark (a noise resembling the bark of a dog)

blare; blaring; cacophony; clamor; din (a loud harsh or strident noise)

boom; roar; roaring; thunder (a deep prolonged loud noise)

chatter; chattering (the high-pitched continuing noise made by animals (birds or monkeys))

chatter; chattering (the rapid series of noises made by the parts of a machine)

chug (the dull explosive noise made by an engine)

clack; clap (a sharp abrupt noise as if two objects hit together; may be repeated)

clang; clangor; clangoring; clangour; clank; clash; crash (a loud resonant repeating noise)

clatter (a rattling noise (often produced by rapid movement))

crack; cracking; snap (a sudden sharp noise)

crackle; crackling; crepitation (the sharp sound of snapping noises)

crunch (the sound of something crunching)

ding-dong (the noise made by a bell)

explosion (the noise caused by an explosion)

grate (a harsh rasping sound made by scraping something)

grinding (a harsh and strident sound (as of the grinding of gears))

grunt; oink (the short low gruff noise of the kind made by hogs)

fizzle; hiss; hissing; hushing; sibilation (a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval))

howl (a loud sustained noise resembling the cry of a hound)

brouhaha; hubbub; katzenjammer; uproar (loud confused noise from many sources)

hum; humming (a humming noise)

plonk (the noise of something dropping (as into liquid))

creak; creaking (a squeaking sound)

Derivation:

noise (emit a noise)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The auditory experience of sound that lacks musical quality; sound that is a disagreeable auditory experience

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

dissonance; noise; racket

Context example:

modern music is just noise to me

Hypernyms ("noise" is a kind of...):

auditory sensation; sound (the subjective sensation of hearing something)

Derivation:

noise (emit a noise)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Electrical or acoustic activity that can disturb communication

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

disturbance; interference; noise

Hypernyms ("noise" is a kind of...):

trouble (an event causing distress or pain)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "noise"):

atmospheric static; atmospherics; static (a crackling or hissing noise caused by electrical interference)

white noise (a noise produced by a stimulus containing all of the audible frequencies of vibration)

jitter (small rapid variations in a waveform resulting from fluctuations in the voltage supply or mechanical vibrations or other sources)

crosstalk; XT (the presence of an unwanted signal via an accidental coupling)

background; background signal (extraneous signals that can be confused with the phenomenon to be observed or measured)

clutter (unwanted echoes that interfere with the observation of signals on a radar screen)

fadeout (a gradual temporary loss of a transmitted signal due to electrical disturbances)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A loud outcry of protest or complaint

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

whatever it was he didn't like it and he was going to let them know by making as loud a noise as he could

Hypernyms ("noise" is a kind of...):

call; cry; outcry; shout; vociferation; yell (a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition)

Derivation:

noisy (full of or characterized by loud and nonmusical sounds)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Incomprehensibility resulting from irrelevant information or meaningless facts or remarks

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

all the noise in his speech concealed the fact that he didn't have anything to say

Hypernyms ("noise" is a kind of...):

incomprehensibility (the quality of being incomprehensible)

Sense 6

Meaning:

The quality of lacking any predictable order or plan

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

haphazardness; noise; randomness; stochasticity

Hypernyms ("noise" is a kind of...):

irregularity; unregularity (not characterized by a fixed principle or rate; at irregular intervals)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "noise"):

ergodicity (an attribute of stochastic systems; generally, a system that tends in probability to a limiting form that is independent of the initial conditions)

• NOISE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they noise    ... he / she / it noises   
Past simple: noised   
Past participle: noised   
-ing form: noising   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Emit a noise

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

make noise; noise; resound

Hypernyms (to "noise" is one way to...):

go; sound (make a certain noise or sound)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "noise"):

blare; blast (make a strident sound)

ring out (sound loudly)

backfire (emit a loud noise as a result of undergoing a backfire)

scream (make a loud, piercing sound)

jangle; jingle; jingle-jangle (make a sound typical of metallic objects)

drown out (make imperceptible)

clitter; stridulate (make a shrill creaking noise by rubbing together special bodily structures)

brattle; clack; clatter (make a rattling sound)

racket (make loud and annoying noises)

creak; screak; screech; skreak; squeak; whine (make a high-pitched, screeching noise)

crackle; crunch; scranch; scraunch (make a crushing noise)

hum (make a low continuous sound)

claxon; honk (use the horn of a car)

purl; sough (make a murmuring sound)

howl; roar (make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles)

sizzle (make a sound like frying fat)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

noise (the auditory experience of sound that lacks musical quality; sound that is a disagreeable auditory experience)

noise (sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound))

 Context examples 

And he could hear the crashing of their bodies through the undergrowth, and the noises they made in the night.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

I shouted and beat the side of the calèche, hoping by the noise to scare the wolves from that side, so as to give him a chance of reaching the trap.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

The noise from downstairs was as that of a score of battling fiends.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Carefully avoiding noise, I lifted the trap-door in the floor and set it to one side.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

"I am the father of Moklan," Ebbits said, having patiently given the woman space for her noise.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

We shall spend the night in your room, and we shall investigate the cause of this noise which has disturbed you.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

You are not what you ought to be, or you wouldn't make such a noise. Move off.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

It would suit us best, but it is bolted as well as locked, and we should make too much noise getting in.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The MRI machine makes a lot of noise.

(MRI Scans, NIH)

This sudden noise startled us shockingly; but the news was good, for it was only six.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)