noise

/nɔɪz/

/nɔɪz/

Other forms: noises; noised; noising

A noise is any sound. Often, it means a sound people don't like, like the noise of traffic or a barking dog.

When someone yells "What is that noise?!" you can be sure they're not happy about what they're hearing. They mean noise as anything too loud or annoying. When it comes to music, people often disagree on what's noise and what isn't. Your noise might be another person's lullaby. A car siren will wake you up, but some noises can be soothing. "White noise" is an electronically generated sound often used to help someone fall asleep.

Definitions of noise

1. noun

   sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
   “he enjoyed the street noises”

   “they heard indistinct noises of people talking”

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

   types:

   bam, bang, blast, clap, eruption

   a sudden, loud sound

   banging

   a continuing very loud noise

   bark

   a noise resembling the bark of a dog

   blare, blaring, cacophony, clamor, clamour, 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

   creak, creaking

   a squeaking sound

   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

   pant

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

   plonk

   the noise of something dropping (as into liquid)

   plop

   the noise of a rounded object dropping into a liquid without a splash

   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

   squelch, 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

   staccato

   a series of sharp, distinct sounds

   crepitation rale

   the crackling sound heard on auscultation when patients with respiratory diseases inhale; associated with tuberculosis and pneumonia and congestive heart failure

   decrepitation

   the crackling or breaking up of certain crystals when they are heated

   splat

   a single splash

   squeal

   a high-pitched howl

   thunderclap

   a single sharp crash of thunder

   water hammer

   the banging sound of steam in pipes

   type of:

   sound

   the sudden occurrence of an audible event
2. noun

   the auditory experience of sound that lacks musical quality; sound that is a disagreeable auditory experience
   “modern music is just noise to me”

   synonyms: dissonance, racket

   type of:

   auditory sensation, sound

   the subjective sensation of hearing something
3. noun

   a loud outcry of protest or complaint
   “the announcement of the election recount caused a lot of noise”

   “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”

   type of:

   call, cry, outcry, shout, vociferation, yell

   a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
4. noun

   electrical or acoustic activity that can disturb communication
   synonyms: disturbance, interference

   types:

   clutter

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

   background, background signal

   extraneous signals that can be confused with the phenomenon to be observed or measured

   XT, crosstalk

   the presence of an unwanted signal via an accidental coupling

   fadeout

   a gradual temporary loss of a transmitted signal due to electrical disturbances

   jitter

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

   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

   background noise, ground noise

   extraneous noise contaminating sound measurements that cannot be separated from the desired signal

   background radiation

   radiation coming from sources other than those being observed

   radio noise

   static at radio wavelengths

   type of:

   trouble

   an event causing distress or pain
5. noun

   incomprehensibility resulting from irrelevant information or meaningless facts or remarks
   “all the noise in his speech concealed the fact that he didn't have anything to say”

   type of:

   incomprehensibility

   the quality of being incomprehensible
6. noun

   the quality of lacking any predictable order or plan
   synonyms: haphazardness, randomness, stochasticity

   types:

   ergodicity

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

   type of:

   irregularity, unregularity

   not characterized by a fixed principle or rate; at irregular intervals
7. verb

   emit a noise
   synonyms: make noise, resound

   types:

   sizzle

   make a sound like frying fat

   howl, roar

   make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles

   purl, sough

   make a murmuring sound

   claxon, honk

   use the horn of a car

   hum

   make a low continuous sound

   crackle, crunch, scranch, scraunch

   make a crushing noise

   creak, screak, screech, skreak, squeak, whine

   make a high-pitched, screeching noise

   racket

   make loud and annoying noises

   brattle, clack, clatter

   make a rattling sound

   clitter, stridulate

   make a shrill creaking noise by rubbing together special bodily structures

   drown out

   make imperceptible

   jangle, jingle, jingle-jangle

   make a sound typical of metallic objects

   scream

   make a loud, piercing sound

   backfire

   emit a loud noise as a result of undergoing a backfire

   ring out

   sound loudly

   blare, blast

   make a strident sound

   vroom

   make a loud, roaring sound, as of a car engine, while moving

   bawl, yawp

   make a raucous noise

   thunder

   make or produce a loud noise

   crump, scrunch, thud

   make a noise typical of an engine lacking lubricants

   type of:

   go, sound

   make a certain noise or sound