• Standard: IPA: /lɪsp/
• Humorous:
  1. IPA: /lɪθp/
  2. IPA: /lɪl͡sp/

lisp (plural lisps)

1. The habit or an act of lisping.

   He used to have a terrible lisp before going to a speech therapist.

   It's common for children to speak with a lisp.

• French: zézaiement, zozotement, susseyement, sesseyement
• German: Lispelei
• Italian: zeppola, lisca, esse moscia, pronuncia blesa
• Portuguese: sigmatismo, ceceio
• Russian: шепеля́вость
• Spanish: ceceo, balbuceo

lisp (lisps, present participle lisping; past and past participle lisped)

1. To pronounce the consonant ‘s’ imperfectly; to give ‘s’ and ‘z’ the sounds of ‘th’ (IPAchar /θ/). This is a speech impediment common among children.
2. To speak with imperfect articulation; to mispronounce, such as a child learning to talk.
   • 1735, [Alexander] Pope, An Epistle from Mr. Pope, to Dr. Arbuthnot, London; Dublin: Re-printed by George Faulkner, bookseller, […], OCLC 6363280 ↗:

     As yet a child, nor yet a fool to fame, / I lisp'd in numbers, for the numbers came.

3. (archaic) To speak hesitatingly and with a low voice, as if afraid.

   • Lest when my lisping, guilty tongue should halt.

4. (archaic) to express by the use of simple, childlike language.

   • to speak unto them after their own capacity, and to lisp words unto them according as the babes and children of that age might sound them again

5. (archaic) To speak with reserve or concealment; to utter timidly or confidentially.

   to lisp treason

   • 1859, Ferna Vale, Natalie; or, A Gem Among the Sea-Weeds

     "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."

• French: zozoter, zézayer, susseyer
• German: lispeln, zuzeln
• Italian: parlare con la zeppola, parlare con la lisca, parlare con la esse moscia, essere bleso
• Portuguese: cecear
• Russian: шепеля́вить
• Spanish: cecear

• Italian: biascicare
• Spanish: balbucear

• Italian: sussurrare
• Spanish: balbucear

1. A functional programming language with a distinctive parenthesized syntax, much used in artificial intelligence.

1. Alternative spelling of Lisp