noises

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of noise.

   Mechanics listen for unusual noises when diagnosing an engine fault.

   Faint clicking noises came from somewhere inside the walls.

   Note

   The plural belongs to the countable uses of noise: separate, distinguishable sounds, or the individual disturbances that blur a signal or a set of data. The mass sense, a general din of unwanted sound, takes no plural. So a street is full of noise, but an engine makes noises. Do not confuse the spelling with the verb form, which means making a sound or spreading a rumor.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of noise.

   The press noises every rumor abroad before the facts are confirmed.

   Whenever the council meets, someone noises the decision around town within hours.

   Note

   Two quite different constructions share this form. Used without an object, it simply means making a sound. Used with an object, it takes news or a rumor and means spreading it. What someone noises is therefore a report rather than a sound. Only the context tells you which one you have. Only the transitive use reaches beyond sound into gossip.

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