What verb would you use to describe the sound tires make when they roll on the asphalt?

Question

In a previous question, I mentioned an English teacher who changed the following sentence “…the rustling of tires." to “…the rustle of tires.”

It seems; however, that rustle has been assessed and rejected, so how would you describe the noise tires make on the asphalt? If they don't rustle, what do they do?

Would "swoosh" do, or is it too childish?

John Mack · Accepted Answer

In addition to earlier suggestions:

'Rumble'  ('soft rumble' / 'heavy rumble' )
'Hiss'
'Drumming'
'Crunch'  (on gravel)
'Thrum'
'Drone'

One might talk of 'drumming' of tyres on dry asphalt roads, particularly where the tyres have large tread patterns (as typical of four-wheel drive off-road vehicles).  When heard from normal car tyres this may indicate the tyre has been improperly mounted, as most car tyres are meant to be relatively quiet in normal operation.

On wet roads one might talk about the 'hiss' of tyres.  A German term 'zischen' has been applied to this sound.  In translation it means 'hiss' or 'fizz'.

Road surfaces can be modified to increase tyre noise, sometimes as a safety measure on the approach to an intersection, or at the edge or centre of a road.  Generally these are known as 'rumble strips' and one might extrapolate that they are intended to create 'tyre rumble'.  In some cases the road surface is modified so as to create a musical sound when driven over by a vehicle's tyres, see: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Webcast/story?id=3931873&page=1

'Crunch' is the very specific sound tyres make on gravel, most usually in the context (in cinema at least) of driveways on wealthy country estates.

'Thrum' and 'drone' are vaguely musical terms, describing a sustained note or hum.

Generally there is a dearth of current words to describe tyre noise because tyre manufacturers are working very hard - and fairly successfully - towards eliminating tyre noises altogether. See: http://tires.about.com/od/understanding_tires/a/Tire-Noise.htm

chasly - supports Monica · Answer

I suggest the 'swish of tires'.

It seems that there is some support for that. There are examples with both US and UK spelling.

swish of tires

and

swish of tyres

Travis Smith of Bexar · Answer

This reddit post has some interesting suggestions, including 'whir', which I like. I don't like swish to convey this sound as swish - for me, at least - connotes a kind of crisp celerity.

I like coming up with newish word forms, so I thought of a couple:

Gum roll: using gum in its older Germanic sense of 'rubber'. This gets across the two main components of the uninterrupted turning of the wheel and the texture of the tire and therefore the sound it would produce against asphalt.
Gum tumble: uses gum like the suggestion before, but also shows word initial rhyme and a verb more concretely reminiscent of the actual context in which this sound is heard.

Cheers!

Elian · Answer

Consider, hum.

: to make a continuous low-pitched droning sound.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus

The hum of tires on blacktop. The smells of some stranger's car seats, a kid's juice box, our sweat. “What's happening to us?” whispered Russell.

Mad Dogs

Olotto Muf Dyvar · Answer

Tires "talk" just like we do...they "hum" with rich, choral-like overtones when happy and content. Depending on the situation though, they may make many, many, different sounds as they converse with the road and nature, and all that crosses their path (literally and figuratively).

Answered by Olotto Muf Dyvar on July 12, 2021

Renea · Answer

Although I’ve only seen it used this way in one or two novels, I like “shushing” for the quiet noise tires make, especially when the road is wet, or the car is moving slowly.
The Oxford English dictionary defines shushing as, “to move with or make a soft swishing or rustling sound.”

What verb would you use to describe the sound tires make when they roll on the asphalt?

6 Answers

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question