What does "noise" mean?
Various sounds, usually unwanted or unpleasant.
Noise
/nɔɪz/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Various sounds, usually unwanted or unpleasant.
- Grammar: noise is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: racket, commotion, din, disturbance.
- Useful contrasts: abrupt silence, absolute quiet, assertional content.
- Usage evidence: "I can't think with that noise," she said, as she stared at the typewriter.
How to use "noise"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "noise" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "noise" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "noise" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "noise" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "noise" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "racket" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "noise", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Various sounds, usually unwanted or unpleasant. uncountable
"He knew that it was trash day, when the garbage collectors made all the noise."
- 2 the quality of lacking any predictable order or plan wordnet
- 3 Any sound. countable, uncountable
"The sudden noise made everyone jump."
- 4 incomprehensibility resulting from irrelevant information or meaningless facts or remarks wordnet
- 5 Sound or signal generated by random fluctuations. countable, uncountable
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 the auditory experience of sound that lacks musical quality; sound that is a disagreeable auditory experience wordnet
- 7 Any part of a signal or data that reduces the clarity, precision, or quality of the desired output. countable, uncountable
"signal-to-noise ratio"
- 8 a loud outcry of protest or complaint wordnet
- 9 Variation or deviation generated by random fluctuations. countable, uncountable
- 10 sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound) wordnet
- 11 Unwanted fuss or bustle; useless activity. broadly, countable, figuratively, uncountable
"In order to provide coherence and confidence, the leader must dramatically turn down the noise level in the organization, eliminate any unnecessary distractions that inevitably get in the way of execution, and banish the fear of uncertainty."
- 12 electrical or acoustic activity that can disturb communication wordnet
- 13 The measured level of variation in gene expression among cells, regardless of source, within a supposedly identical population. countable, uncountable
- 14 Rumour or complaint. countable, uncountable
"The problems with the new computer system are causing a lot of noise at Head Office."
- 15 Speech that is suggestive of an attitude or opinion. countable, informal, uncountable
"Despite encouraging noises made by politicians from time to time, the two sides there have never been further from an agreement."
- 16 Music, in general; a concert; also, a company of musicians; a band. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"The king has his noise of gypsies."
- 17 A genre of rock music that uses static and other non-musical sounds, also influenced by art rock. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To make a noise; to sound. intransitive
"Those terrours, which thou speak'st of, did me none ; I never fear'd they could, though noising loud And threatening nigh"
- 2 emit a noise wordnet
- 3 To spread news of; to spread as rumor or gossip. transitive
"When this was noysed aboute, the multitude cam togedder and were astonyed, because that every man herde them speake in his awne tongue."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
abrupt silenceabsolute quietassertional contentbiological signal
Example
""I can't think with that noise," she said, as she stared at the typewriter."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "noise"?
Common synonyms include: racket, commotion, din, disturbance, interference, aesopian language.
How do you use "noise" in a sentence?
"I can't think with that noise," she said, as she stared at the typewriter.
How do you pronounce "noise"?
Pronounced /nɔɪz/.
Etymology
From Middle English noyse, noise, from Old French noise (“a dispute, wrangle, strife, noise”), of uncertain origin. According to some, from Latin nausia, nausea (“disgust, nausea”); according to others, from Latin noxia (“hurt, harm, damage, injury”); but neither explanation is satisfactory in regard to either form or sense. Potentially a reduced form of Old French enoiier (“to bother, to disturb”), from Latin inodio (“to make repulsive”) - which would make it a doublet of English annoy (“to bother, to irritate”) and English ennui (“boredom, jadedness, depression”). Compare Piedmontese nojé (“to bother, to annoy”), though this fails to explain the final /z/.