View synonyms for stage whisper

stage whisper

noun

a loud whisper on a stage, meant to be heard by the audience.
any whisper loud enough to be overheard.

stage whisper

noun

a loud whisper from one actor to another onstage intended to be heard by the audience
any loud whisper that is intended to be overheard

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Word History and Origins

Origin of stage whisper¹

First recorded in 1860–65

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Idioms and Phrases

A whisper loud enough to be overheard, as in Our three-year-old behaved beautifully at the ceremony, but then he asked in a stage whisper, “Why does that lady have blue hair?” This expression alludes to an actor's whisper on stage, which is meant to be heard by the audience. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

The substitute nurse says to him in a stage whisper, “You know, the doctor says no vodka.”

From The Daily Beast

But suddenly someone said in a stage whisper, “Police custody, one week!”

From The Daily Beast

"I 'm not going to say one word about it," said he, in a stage whisper that even the Knight himself overheard.

From Project Gutenberg

Oh, I think I can manage them, Jerry returned in a confident stage whisper.

From Project Gutenberg

I leant forward as if imparting a secret of great importance, and said, in a stage whisper: "Germans!"

From Project Gutenberg

“Never mind, honey,” his imperturbable wife assured him in a stage whisper.

From Project Gutenberg

"Something horrid," said Anthony's younger sister to her elder in a stage whisper.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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