lisp

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈlɪsp/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/lɪsp/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(lisp)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
lisp /lɪsp/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Phoneticsa speech defect in which s and z are pronounced like or nearly like the th- sounds of thin and this, respectively;
    any slightly different pronunciation of speech sounds like (s) and (z).

v. 
  1. Phoneticsto pronounce or speak with a lisp: [no object]has been lisping since childhood.[~ + object]He lisps his s sounds.
  2. to speak imperfectly, esp. in a childish manner: [no object]Stop lisping.[~ + object]He lisped some s sounds.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
lisp  (lisp),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Phoneticsa speech defect consisting in pronouncing s and z like or nearly like the th- sounds of thin and this, respectively.
  2. Phoneticsany unconventional articulation of the sibilants, as the pronunciation of s and z with the tongue between the teeth (lingual protrusion lisp,) close to or touching the upper front teeth (dental lisp,) or raised so that the breath is emitted laterally (lateral lisp.)
  3. Phoneticsthe act, habit, or sound of lisping.

v.t., v.i. 
  1. Phoneticsto pronounce or speak with a lisp.
  2. to speak imperfectly, esp. in a childish manner.
  • bef. 1100; Middle English wlispen, lipsen, Old English āwlyspian; akin to Dutch lisp(el)en, German lispeln, Norwegian leipsa
lisp′er, n. 
lisp′ing•ly, adv. 

LISP  (lisp),USA pronunciation n. [Computers.]
  1. Computinga high-level programming language that processes data in the form of lists: widely used in artificial intelligence applications.
  • lis(t) p(rocessing)

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
lisp /lɪsp/ n
  1. the articulation of s and z like or nearly like the th sounds in English thin and then respectively
  2. the habit or speech defect of pronouncing s and z in this manner
  3. the sound of a lisp in pronunciation
 vb
  1. to use a lisp in the pronunciation of (speech)
  2. to speak or pronounce imperfectly or haltingly
Etymology: Old English āwlispian, from wlisp lisping (adj), of imitative origin; related to Old High German lispenˈlisper n ˈlisping adj , n ˈlispingly adv
'lisp' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
dental lisp - lateral lisp - lingual protrusion lisp

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