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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”
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    types:
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    bam, bang, blast, clap, eruption
    a sudden very loud noise
    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
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    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”
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    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
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    types:
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    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”
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    type of:
    incomprehensibility
    the quality of being incomprehensible
  6. noun
    the quality of lacking any predictable order or plan
    synonyms: haphazardness, randomness, stochasticity
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    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
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    types:
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    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
Pronunciation
US

/nɔɪz/

UK

/nɔɪz/

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