noise
[noun]
Synonyms: sound, clamour, commotion, din, hubbub, racket, row, uproar

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Contrasted words: quiet, silence, stillness
Related Words: babel, clamor, din, hubbub, pandemonium, racket, uproar

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English Thesaurus: noise, racket/din, row, roar, hubbub, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. noise¹ S2 W2 /nɔɪz/ noun
[Word Family: adverb: noisily, noiselessly; adjective: noisy, noiseless; noun: noise]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: 'quarreling, noise', from Latin nausea; ⇒ nausea]

1. [uncountable and countable] a sound, especially one that is loud, unpleasant, or frightening Synonym : sound:
What’s that noise?
noise of
the noise of the traffic
Try not to make a noise when you go upstairs.
gurgling/banging/crackling etc noise
There was a strange whistling noise in his ears.
There was a lot of noise outside.
Noise levels have been reduced by 20%.
traffic/engine/background etc noise
the problem of aircraft noise near airports

2. (make) encouraging/optimistic etc noises (about something) British English to say things which suggest what your opinion or attitude is, without saying it directly:
Both sides were making hopeful noises about the hostages.

3. make (all) the right noises (about something) to say the things that other people want or expect to hear:
The health minister seems to be making all the right noises.

4. make noises about doing something to say that you are considering doing something:
He is now making noises about starting his own business.

5. make a (lot of) noise about something British English to talk about something a lot, so that people will notice it – used in order to show disapproval:
modern men who make a noise about the fact that they know how to look good

6. [uncountable] technical unwanted signals produced by an electrical circuit

7. [uncountable] technical pieces of unwanted information that can prevent a computer from working effectively

8. noises off the sounds, voices etc that come from actors who are not on the stage at the time
⇒ big noise

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. noise² verb
be noised abroad/about/around old-fashioned especially British English if news or information is noised abroad, people are talking about it:
Rumours of an election are being noised abroad.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

noise
noun
ADJ. deafening, loud | awful, horrible, terrible | low, slight The slightest noise will wake him.
sudden | funny, strange | background There was constant background noise from the motorway.
constant, incessant | banging, buzzing, clattering, etc. | aircraft, engine, traffic | rude One of the children made a rude noise.
VERB + NOISE create, generate, make the noise created by aircraft She was making a lot of noise.
hear, listen to We could hear funny little sucking noises.
deaden, reduce Wood is used to deaden the noise.
NOISE + VERB come from sth There were strange noises coming from the sitting room.
become/get/grow louder, grow, increase, rise | abate, die away/down, drop, fade away, fall The deafening noise of the machine dropped to a rumble, then stopped.
NOISE + NOUN level | pollution
PREP. above/over the ~ We had to shout over the noise of the traffic.
~ from the noise from the engine room

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

noise

make a noise
The car engine was making a funny noise.
hear a noise
She heard a strange noise.
a noise comes from something
The noise seemed to be coming from the kitchen.
a loud noise
The rain made a loud noise against the window.
a strange/funny noise
What’s that funny noise?
a gurgling/whistling/cracking etc noise (=a noise with a particular kind of sound)
The water moved through the pipes with a loud gurgling noise.
constant noise (=noise that does not stop)
She was fed up with the constant noise of traffic.
background noise (=noise of things that are happening around you)
The background noise made it hard to hear what he was saying.
traffic/aircraft/engine etc noise
It was peaceful there, with no traffic noise at all.
noise levels
The hospital is trying to reduce noise levels to help patients sleep.
noise pollution (=noise from cars, planes etc which has a bad effect on people’s lives)
The new airport will increase noise pollution in the surrounding area.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

noise
noun
1.
BAD: I turned on the radio but there was no noise.
GOOD: I turned on the radio but there was no sound.
BAD: He was woken up by the noise of broken glass.
GOOD: He was woken up by the sound of broken glass.

Usage Note:
noise = (1) loud unpleasant sounds heard as a single mass: 'The noise of the traffic gave me a headache.' 'People were making such a lot of noise that I couldn't hear what she was saying.' (2) a sound that is unpleasant and/or without meaning: 'The radio suddenly started making a funny noise.' 'What was that noise?'
sound = something that is heard or received by the ear, especially something that you recognize or can give a meaning to: 'I've always loved the sound of a classical guitar.' 'I could hear the sound of someone crying in the next room.'

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2.
BAD: I was woken up by a big noise outside the room.
GOOD: I was woken up by a loud noise outside the room.

Usage Note:
loud noise (NOT big ): 'Habitual exposure to loud noises can damage the ear.'

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3.
BAD: The restaurant was full and there was a loud noise.
GOOD: The restaurant was full and there was a lot of noise.
BAD: You can talk as long as you don't make a loud noise.
GOOD: You can talk as long as you don't make a lot of noise.

Usage Note:
A loud noise (countable) describes what you hear when, for example, somebody slams a door or drops a plate. To refer to continuous noise made during an activity, use noise as an uncountable noun: 'They don't know the difference between music and noise.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

noise a loud sound, especially an unpleasant one:
Traffic noise is a problem in inner-city areas.
Why is the washing machine making so much noise?
racket/din a loud unpleasant noise, especially one that annoys you. Racket is more informal than din:
I wish those kids would stop making such a racket.
I shouted to make myself heard above the din of the crowd.
the din of battle
row British English a very loud unpleasant noise, especially one that continues for a long time:
the deafening row of the loudspeakers
roar a loud noise that continues for a long time – used about the noise from an engine, the traffic, a crowd, the sea, or the wind:
She heard the roar of a motorbike behind her.
the roar of the waves breaking on the beach
the roar of the crowd at the Blue Jays baseball game
hubbub especially written the unclear sound of a lot of people talking and moving around in a place:
It’s a wonderful place to escape from the hubbub of London’s busy streets.
His voice rose above the hubbub.
commotion especially written a noise made by people arguing or fighting:
There was a big commotion going on outside the building.
He went downstairs to find out what was causing the commotion.
clamour British English, clamor American English literary a loud noise made by a group of people or things all making a noise at the same time:
They heard the clamour of angry voices.
the clamor of the rain on the roof
the clamour of typewriters
the clamour of the birds

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲