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white noise

/waɪt nɔɪz/
/hwaɪt nɔɪz/
/waɪt nɔɪz/
IPA guide

Other forms: white noises

White noise is a low, humming sound that results from many combined frequencies. There are machines that create white noise to help people sleep, and there are also many examples in nature, like the repetitive crashing of ocean waves.

The sound of steady rain falling is a type of white noise, as is the hum of a large crowd of fans in a football stadium. If you use the whir of a fan or an air conditioner to fall asleep or sleep more soundly, that's also white noise. In physics, white noise is a signal created by several frequencies with the same intensity. The term comes from white light, which is created by combining different colors.

Definitions of white noise
  1. noun
    a noise produced by a stimulus containing all of the audible frequencies of vibration
    white noise is a good masking agent”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    disturbance, interference, noise
    electrical or acoustic activity that can disturb communication
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