Meanings
nounwhite noise (uncountable)
- uncountablenatural sciencesA random signal (or process) with a flat power spectral density; a signal with a power spectral density that has equal power in any band, at any centre frequency, having a given bandwidth.
Conventional statistical analyses presuppose that intrinsic variability is white noise. White noise yields a jagged and irregular line with a fractal dimension of 1.5, because successive observations are statistically independent of each other.
2005, John G. Holden, Gauging the Fractal Dimension of Response Times from Cognitive Tasks - uncountableAny nondescript noise used for background or to mask or drown out other noise.
- broadlyfigurativelyuncountableSpeech that goes ignored or uncomprehended.
The rest was white noise; I was sick of listening to who I was supposed to be.
2017, C. R. Robertson, Elements of Fae, page 137
Translations
Catalan soroll blanc
- soroll blancrandom signal with flat power spectral density
Chinese Mandarin 白噪音, 白噪聲 /白噪声
- 白噪音 (báizàoyīn)random signal with flat power spectral density
- 白噪聲 /白噪声 (báizàoshēng)random signal with flat power spectral density
- 白雜訊 /白杂讯 (báizáxùn)random signal with flat power spectral density
Czech bílý šum
- bílý šumrandom signal with flat power spectral density
Dutch witte ruis
- witte ruisrandom signal with flat power spectral density
Finnish valkoinen kohina
- valkoinen kohinarandom signal with flat power spectral density
French bruit blanc
- bruit blancrandom signal with flat power spectral density
German weißes Rauschen
- weißes Rauschenrandom signal with flat power spectral density
Hebrew רעש לבן
- רעש לבן (rá'ash laván)random signal with flat power spectral density
Indonesian derau putih
- derau putihrandom signal with flat power spectral density
Japanese ホワイトノイズ
- ホワイトノイズ (howaito noizu)random signal with flat power spectral density
Korean 백색잡음, 백색소음
- 백색잡음 (baeksaekjabeum)random signal with flat power spectral density
- 백색소음 (baeksaekso'eum)random signal with flat power spectral density
- 화이트 노이즈 (hwaiteu noijeu)random signal with flat power spectral density
Malay hingar putih
- hingar putihrandom signal with flat power spectral density
Portuguese ruído branco
- ruído brancorandom signal with flat power spectral density
Romanian zgomot alb
- zgomot albrandom signal with flat power spectral density
Russian бе́лый шум
- бе́лый шум (bélyj šum)random signal with flat power spectral density
Spanish ruido blanco, sonido blanco
- ruido blancorandom signal with flat power spectral density
- sonido blancorandom signal with flat power spectral density
- alteración blancarandom signal with flat power spectral density
Swedish vitt brus
- vitt brusrandom signal with flat power spectral density
Cite this entry
APA
white noise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/white%20noise
MLA
“white noise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/white%20noise. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “white noise,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/white%20noise.
Source: white noise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.