Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words
1

whish

play
verb \ ˈhwish , ˈwish \

Definition of whish

transitive verb
:to urge on or cause to move with a whish
intransitive verb
1 :to make a sibilant sound
2 :to move with a whish especially at high speed
  • an elevator … whishes down to the lower level
  • —Natalie Cooper

See whish defined for kids

From the M-W Editors

alt-59c52d6ee2f72
Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'
young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!
alt-59c448f88ea38
Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Examples of whish in a Sentence

  1. seemingly out of nowhere, a baseball whished past my head

  2. the match whished as it burst into flame

Origin and Etymology of whish

imitative

whish Synonyms

Synonyms
bumble, burr, buzz, drone, hum, whirr, whiz (or whizz), zip, zoom
Related Words
chirr, churr; thrum; fizz, hiss, murmur, purr, rustle, sigh, sizzle, swish, whisper; coo, curr; wheeze, whistle, whoosh
2

whish

noun

Definition of whish

:a rushing sound :swish

Examples of whish in a Sentence

  1. the whish of tires on wet pavement

First Known Use of whish

circa 1802

whish Synonyms

Synonyms
fizz, sizzle, swish, hiss, whiz (or whizz)
Related Words
swoosh, wheeze, whistle, whoosh, zip; sibilance, sibilant

Learn More about whish

  1. See words that rhyme with whish Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for whish

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up whish? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

legerity

play

alert quickness of mind or body

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. dotage, dotard a state or period of senile decay

  2. otherwise "in other respects"

  3. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  4. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  5. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

whish

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

  • young-plant-shoots
  • Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59c52d6ee2f72
Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

The word's origins are quite literal

alt-59c4207ecf106
Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

image1644821030
8 Words and Phrases from Boxing and Wrestling

Common terms that come from boxing and wrestling

alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Syn City
Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

Play the game
Examples: whish in a Sentence