whist

1 of 3

verb

ˈ(h)wist

whisted; whisting; whists

intransitive verb

dialectal British

: to be silent : hush

—often used interjectionally to enjoin silence

whist

2 of 3

noun

: a card game for four players in two partnerships that is played with a pack of 52 cards and that scores one point for each trick in excess of six

Examples of whist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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Adjective

Bid whist, for our generation, was the national Black pastime. —Robin Rose Parker, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2022

Celebrate with free bowling (first come, first serve), DJ Always, DJ Slikk, NBA playoffs on TV, spades and bid whist tournament. —Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 12 Jan. 2022

Noun

Advertisement Wherever Nikki alights is a space to laugh, play the dozens (preferably over bid whist), celebrate and, yes mourn and sing with these and other giants. —L. Lamar Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024 The screenplay spreads the potential guilt around a small group of suspects, including Edith’s friends and fellow whist players, a pleasurably comic trio of ladies bold (Lolly Adefope), bony (Eileen Atkins) and bossy (Joanna Scanlan). —Ty Burr, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024 Enjoy comedy shows and old school hip-hop foam parties as well as fun and games with a Black twist like bid whist, gospel brunches, dominoes, sorority step competitions and more. —Essence, 30 Jan. 2024 Most have been playing for decades, having honed their skills at Black colleges, starting with Spades and bid whist, two games that are uniquely Black in their use of language and aggressive playing styles. —Ernie Suggs, ajc, 19 Feb. 2023 And the series opens with four people playing bid whist. —Robin Rose Parker, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2022 Compounding the problem, cheating was for decades a taboo subject in the genteel, tiny community of elite bridge — a game that evolved from 19th-century whist and was modified by a Vanderbilt on a yacht in 1925. —Alan Yuhas, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2021 An enthusiastic player of bid whist — a card game often compared to spades — Clark joined in tournaments, near and far. —Donna St. George, Washington Post, 1 July 2024 And in the middle of his paddy, seated around embers that are boiling a kettle, Lalith and friends are playing a furious card game that resembles whist. —The Economist, 27 Feb. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English; imitative

Noun

alteration of earlier whisk, probably from whisk entry 2; from whisking up the tricks

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1663, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of whist was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Whist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whist. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.

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Kids Definition

whist

noun

ˈhwist,

ˈwist

: a card game for four players in two partnerships

whist

verb

adjective

noun

Examples of whist in a Sentence

Word History

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whist

verb

adjective

noun

Examples of whist in a Sentence

Word History

Articles Related to whist

Dictionary Entries Near whist

Cite this Entry

Share

Kids Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on whist

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

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Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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