white noise

noun

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

In the short term, try the usual combination of earplugs and a white noise machine (or even moving your bed) to minimize the interruptions to your sleep.

— mallory ortberg, Slate Magazine, "I’m about to give birth, but all my in-laws will do is hog the baby.," 4 May 2017
Rumbly white noise is inexpensive and very effective for improving a baby's sleep.

— dr. harvey karp, CNN, "Myths about baby sleep and SIDS, debunked by an expert," 30 Oct. 2017
Brian thinks the sound—a constant metallic storm—acts like a gating mechanism for his senses, the white noise giving him a balance.

— emily schultz, Slate Magazine, "A Writing Mother Is a Selfish Mother," 6 June 2017
Some sort of machine hummed around the corner, in an adjoining room, mindless white noise to break the silence.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "The losing Chiefs and the emptiness of the wrong side of a wild game," 20 Oct. 2017
Aristotle can be programmed to launch into a lullaby, emit white noise, or turn on a night light to soothe a waking baby back to sleep.

— todd shields, Bloomberg.com, "Mattel Gadget Listens to Babies, Setting Off Privacy Alarms," 30 Sep. 2017
The water creates a sound that conveys something in the midst between a feeling of white noise, and calming relaxation.

— allison keyes, Smithsonian, "In This Quiet Space for Contemplation, a Fountain Rains Down Calming Waters," 21 Sep. 2017
Around them, hundreds of thousands of cooling fans fill the building with whooshing white noise.

— cao li and giulia marchi, New York Times, "In China’s Hinterlands, Workers Mine Bitcoin for a Digital Fortune," 13 Sep. 2017
Passersby in years past have heard the massive speakers at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium pumping in white noise to simulate neutral- or road-game environments.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Upon review, Bobby Petrino thinks he has a solution to U of L's problem with false starts," 4 Sep. 2017

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

Medical Dictionary

white noise

noun

: 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