white noise

noun

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Definition of white noise

1 a : a heterogeneous mixture of sound waves extending over a wide frequency range — compare pink noise

b : a constant background noise; especially : one that drowns out other sounds

2 : meaningless or distracting commotion, hubbub, or chatter

the white noise of policy and politics in America
—Joseph Nocera

See white noise defined for English-language learners

See white noise defined for kids

Recent Examples of white noise from the Web

Shushing = Sleep All babies sleep better with rumbly white noise … and most parents do, too!

— anya leon, PEOPLE.com, "5 Tips to Help Your Baby Be a Great Sleeper from Dr. Harvey Karp, Founder of Happiest Baby," 27 Feb. 2018
Even if the team stinks, baseball remains good white noise for the home.

— mac engel, star-telegram, "An ex TCU baseball player misses at the Kentucky Derby but wins anyway | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 5 May 2018
The bassinet keeps a baby swaddled safely, sways when needed, plays white noise, has sensors that can change the intensity of each stimulus, and can be adjusted from afar by a smartphone.

— Philly.com, "The problem with Harvey Karp's $1,160 bassinet," 26 Apr. 2018
The only sound McNamee heard was the deafening white noise from above, punctuated by snaps and pops and hisses.

— sean flynn, Esquire, "The Perfect Fire," 9 Mar. 2017
The commands are virtually undetectable to the human ear — translated through white noise or random patterns of orchestra music, for example — but can trigger actions as complex as wiring money and opening front doors.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump reassures anxious hawks that he’s willing to walk away from North Korea talks," 11 May 2018
At Amazon’s Spheres, an office for 800 employees that opened in Seattle this winter, a rushing brook and waterfall permeate the workspace with continuous, calming white noise.

— john medina and, WSJ, "How Neuroscience Is Optimizing the Office," 1 May 2018
Bonus: Its white noise can help drone out your dorm neighbor's bass or the sound of the doors slamming down the hall.

— elizabeth narins, Cosmopolitan, "30 Ways to Stay Fit When You Get to College," 26 Aug. 2016
The sum of acute challenges here makes climate change a kind of white noise, usually.

— scott waldman, Scientific American, "Precarious Life of Texas Farmworkers Becomes Riskier With Warming," 23 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'white noise.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of white noise

1943

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Medical Dictionary

white noise

noun

medical Definition of white noise

: a heterogeneous mixture of sound waves extending over a wide frequency range that has been used to mask out unwanted noise interfering with sleep — called also white sound