- 1[countable, uncountable] a sound, especially when it is loud, unpleasant, or disturbing a rattling noise What's that noise? Don't make a noise. They were making too much noise. I was woken by the noise of a car starting up. We had to shout above the noise of the traffic. to reduce noise levels
- 2[uncountable] (technology) extra electrical or electronic signals that are not part of the signal that is being broadcast or transmitted and that may damage it
- 3[uncountable] information that is not wanted and that can make it difficult for the important or useful information to be seen clearly There is some noise in the data that needs to be reduced. Idioms
- 1to talk in an indirect way about something that you think you might do The company has been making noises about closing several factories.
- 2to complain about something
to complain loudly
to make remarks of the kind mentioned, even when that is not what you really think He made all the right noises at the meeting yesterday (= he said what people wanted to hear).
- Noise is usually loud and unpleasant. It can be countable or uncountable:Try not to make so much noise. What a terrible noise!
- Sound is a countable noun and means something that you hear:All she could hear was the sound of the waves.You do not use words like much or a lot of with sound.
Check pronunciation: noise