Meanings
lisp1
plural lisps · alternative lipsey · alternative lithp
- The act or a habit of lisping.
It's common for children to speak with a lisp.
1 more example
He used to have a terrible lisp before going to a speech therapist.
present singular third person lisps · participle present lisping · participle past lisped · past lisped · alternative lipsey · alternative lithp
- intransitiveTo pronounce the consonant ‘s’ imperfectly; to give ‘s’ and ‘z’ the sounds of ‘th’ (/θ/, /ð/). This is a speech impediment common among children.
Until the age of 10, Dominic would lisp, but this was fixed by a speech therapist.
- intransitiveTo speak with imperfect articulation; to mispronounce, such as a child learning to talk.
As yet a Child, nor yet a Fool to Fame, / I liſp'd in Numbers, for the Numbers came.
1735 January 13 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 1734), [Alexander] Pope, An Epistle from Mr. Pope, to Dr. Arbuthnot, London: […] J[ohn] Wright for Lawton Gilliver […], →OCLC, page 7, lines 122–123 - archaicintransitiveTo speak hesitatingly and with a low voice, as if afraid.
Lest when my lisping, guilty tongue should halt.
1597, Michaell [i.e., Michael] Drayton, “(please specify the chapter, poem, or subtitle)”, in Englands Heroicall Epistles, London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] Ling, […], →OCLC - archaicintransitiveto express by the use of simple, childlike language.
to speak unto them after their own capacity, and to lisp the words unto them , according as the babes and children of that age might sound them againagain
1848, Henry Walter, editor, Doctrinal Treatises and Introductions to Different Portions of the Holy Scriptures1 more example
But the fashion spreads deeper and wider; the village is infected and the village green; Amelias and Claras sweep your rooms and cook your dinners, gentle Sophias milk your cows, and if you ask a pretty smiling girl at a cottage door to tell you her name, the rosy lips lisp out Caroline.
1830, Mary Russell Mitford, “Cottage Names”, in Our Village: Sketches of Rural Character and Scenery, volume IV, London: Whittaker, Treacher, & Co., […], →OCLC, page 68 - archaicintransitiveTo speak with reserve or concealment; to utter timidly or confidentially.
to lisp treason
1 more example
"You have done well, sir," said Delwood, calmly, as he placed double the amount of Mrs. Santon's bribe in the Signor's hand; "you have done well, sir; and mark my words,—gold can never relieve a guilty conscience! Go, sir, and see that you lisp not a syllable of this to any one."
1859, Ferna Vale, Natalie; or, A Gem Among the Sea-Weeds
Lisp2
plural Lisps · alternative LISP
- computer languagesA language family of multiparadigm programming languages that share a distinctive parenthesized syntax with prefix-operator precedence, historically used in symbolic artificial intelligence.
LISP3
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna flexible procedure-oriented programing language that manipulates symbols in the form of lists
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
lisp · noun, verb
- Proto-Indo-European*wlis-
- Proto-Germanic*wlispaz“lisping”
- Old Englishwlisp
- Old English*wlispian
- Middle Englishlispen
- Englishlisp
From Middle English lispen, lipsen, wlispen, from Old English *wlispian (attested in āwlyspian (“to lisp”)), from Old English wlisp, wlips (“stammering, lisping”, adjective), from Proto-Germanic *wlispaz (“lisping”), from Proto-Indo-European *wlis-, *wleys- (“rod”), from *wel- (“to turn, roll”). Cognate with Middle Low German wlispen (“to lisp”), Dutch lispen (“to lisp”), German lispeln (“to lisp”), Danish læspe (“to lisp”), Swedish läspa (“to lisp”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek τραυλίζω
- τραυλίζω (traulízō)to pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Arabic لُثْغَة
- لُثْغَة (luṯḡa)The habit or an act of lisping.
Bulgarian фъфлене, фъфля
- фъфлене (făflene)The habit or an act of lisping.
- фъфля (făflja)to pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- фъфля (făflja)to speak with imperfect articulation
Catalan papissot, papissotejar
- papissotThe habit or an act of lisping.
- papissotejarto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Czech šišlání, šišlavost
- šišláníThe habit or an act of lisping.
- šišlavostThe habit or an act of lisping.
- šlapat si na jazykto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Danish læspen, læspe
- læspenThe habit or an act of lisping.
- læspeto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Dutch slis, slisgeluid
- slisThe habit or an act of lisping.
- slisgeluidThe habit or an act of lisping.
- slissento pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- lispenento pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Esperanto lispado, lispi
- lispadoThe habit or an act of lisping.
- lispito pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- blezito pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Finnish ässävika, sammallus
- ässävikaThe habit or an act of lisping.
- sammallusThe habit or an act of lisping.
- sammaltaato pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- lespatato pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- sössöttääto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- sössöttääto speak with imperfect articulation
- sössöttääto speak hesitatingly and with a low voice
- supistato speak hesitatingly and with a low voice
- supattaato speak with reserve or concealment
French zézaiement, zozotement
- zézaiementThe habit or an act of lisping.
- zozotementThe habit or an act of lisping.
- susseyementThe habit or an act of lisping.
- sesseyementThe habit or an act of lisping.
- zozoterto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- zézayerto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- susseyerto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
German Lispelei, lispeln
- LispeleiThe habit or an act of lisping.
- lispelnto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- zuzelnto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Greek ψευδισμός, ψεύδισμα
- ψευδισμός (psevdismós)The habit or an act of lisping.
- ψεύδισμα (psévdisma)The habit or an act of lisping.
- ψευδίζω (psevdízo)to pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Hindi लिस्प
- लिस्प (lisp)The habit or an act of lisping.
Hungarian pöszeség, selypítés
- pöszeségThe habit or an act of lisping.
- selypítésThe habit or an act of lisping.
- pöszítto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- selypítto speak with imperfect articulation
Icelandic smámæli, vera smámæltur
- smámæliThe habit or an act of lisping.
- vera smámælturto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- vera smámæltto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Irish labhair go briotach
- labhair go briotachto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Italian zeppola, lisca
- zeppolaThe habit or an act of lisping.
- liscaThe habit or an act of lisping.
- esse mosciaThe habit or an act of lisping.
- pronuncia blesaThe habit or an act of lisping.
- parlare con la zeppolato pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- parlare con la liscato pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- parlare con la esse mosciato pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- essere blesoto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- biascicareto speak with imperfect articulation
- sussurrareto speak hesitatingly and with a low voice
Latvian šļupstēt, svepstēt
- šļupstētto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- svepstētto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Lithuanian šveplavimas, švepluoti
- šveplavimasThe habit or an act of lisping.
- švepluotito pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Māori arero tehe, tehe
- arero teheThe habit or an act of lisping.
- teheThe habit or an act of lisping.
Norwegian lesping
- lespingThe habit or an act of lisping.
Norwegian Bokmål lespe
- lespeto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Polish seplenienie, sygmatyzm
- seplenienieThe habit or an act of lisping.
- sygmatyzmThe habit or an act of lisping.
- seplenićto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Portuguese sigmatismo, ceceio
- sigmatismoThe habit or an act of lisping.
- ceceioThe habit or an act of lisping.
- cecearto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Punjabi ਤੋਤਲਾਪਣ
- ਤੋਤਲਾਪਣ (totlāpaṇ)The habit or an act of lisping.
Romanian sâsâi, vorbi peltic
- sâsâito pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- vorbi pelticto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Russian шепеля́вость, шепеля́вение
- шепеля́вость (šepeljávostʹ)The habit or an act of lisping.
- шепеля́вение (šepeljávenije)The habit or an act of lisping.
- шепеля́вить (šepeljávitʹ)to pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Spanish ceceo, sigmatismo
- ceceoThe habit or an act of lisping.
- sigmatismoThe habit or an act of lisping.
- cecearto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- balbucearto speak with imperfect articulation
- balbucearto speak hesitatingly and with a low voice
Swedish läspning, läspa
- läspningThe habit or an act of lisping.
- läspato pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Turkish peltek konuşmak
- peltek konuşmakto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Ukrainian шепеля́вість, шепеля́вити
- шепеля́вість (šepeljávistʹ)The habit or an act of lisping.
- шепеля́вити (šepeljávyty)to pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Vietnamese sự nói ngọng, nói ngọng
- sự nói ngọngThe habit or an act of lisping.
- nói ngọngto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
- nói đớtto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Welsh siarad yn floesg
- siarad yn floesgto pronounce the sibilant letter ‘s’ imperfectly
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with lisp
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
lisp. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lisp
“lisp.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lisp. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lisp,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lisp.
Source: lisp on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.