What does "whisk" mean?
A quick, light sweeping motion.
Whisk
/wɪsk/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A quick, light sweeping motion.
- Grammar: whisk is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: aerate, agitate, agitates, agitating.
- Useful contrasts: linger, stay, stir.
- Usage evidence: Crack two eggs into a bowl, then whisk them together with some milk.
How to use "whisk"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "whisk" 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 "whisk" 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 "whisk" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "whisk" 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 "whisk" is acting as noun, verb 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 "aerate" 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 "whisk", 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 A quick, light sweeping motion.
"With a quick whisk, she swept the cat from the pantry with her broom."
- 2 The card game whist. obsolete, uncountable
"Trump, noddy, whisk, hole[…]"
- 3 a small short-handled broom used to brush clothes wordnet
- 4 A kitchen utensil, now usually made from stiff wire loops fixed to a handle (and formerly of twigs), used for whipping (or a mechanical device with the same function).
"He used a whisk to whip up a light and airy souffle."
- 5 a mixer incorporating a coil of wires; used for whipping eggs or cream wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A bunch of twigs or hair etc, used as a brush.
"Peter dipped the whisk in lather and applied it to his face, so he could start shaving."
- 7 A small handheld broom with a small (or no) handle.
"I used a whisk to sweep the counter, then a push-broom for the floor."
- 8 A plane used by coopers for evening chines.
- 9 A kind of cape, forming part of a woman's dress.
"My wife in her new lace whiske."
Verb
- 1 To move something with quick light sweeping motions. transitive
"Vernon whisked the sawdust from his workbench."
- 2 whip with or as if with a wire whisk wordnet
- 3 In cooking, to whip e.g. eggs or cream. transitive
"The chef prepared to whisk the egg whites for the angel's food cake."
- 4 brush or wipe off lightly wordnet
- 5 To move something rapidly and with no warning. transitive
"July 3, 1769, Horace Walpole, letter to the Earl of Strafford I beg she would not impale worms, nor whisk carp out of one element into another."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 move somewhere quickly wordnet
- 7 To move lightly and nimbly. intransitive
"The stories did not seem to me to touch life. […] They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator."
- 8 move quickly and nimbly wordnet
- 9 To move whiskers. transitive
Example
"Crack two eggs into a bowl, then whisk them together with some milk."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "whisk"?
Common synonyms include: aerate, agitate, agitates, agitating, agitator, ball the jack.
How do you use "whisk" in a sentence?
Crack two eggs into a bowl, then whisk them together with some milk.
How do you pronounce "whisk"?
Pronounced /wɪsk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English whisk, borrowed from Old Norse visk, from Proto-Germanic *wiskaz, *wiskō (“bundle of hay, wisp”), from Proto-Indo-European *weys-. Cognates Cognate with Danish visk, Dutch wis, German Wisch, Latin virga (“rod, switch”), viscus (“entrails”), Lithuanian vizgéti (“to tremble”), Czech věchet (“wisp of straw”), Sanskrit वेष्क (veṣka, “noose”). Compare also Old English wiscian (“to plait”), granwisc (“awn”). The unetymological wh- is probably expressive of the sound; compare the same development in whip and onomatopoeias such as whack and whoosh.
Etymology 2
So called from the rapid action of sweeping the cards off the table after a trick has been won.