hiss
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hiss
- /hɪs/
Rhymes with -ɪs
Where it comes from
From Middle English hissen, probably of onomatopoeic origin (compare Arabic هَسْهَسَ (hashasa)). Compare Middle Dutch hissen, hisschen (“to chase away, shoo”), Middle Low German hissen (“to chase, hound, incite”).
noun hisses
- A sibilant sound, such as that made by a snake or escaping steam; an unvoiced fricative. Their music frightful as the serpent’s hiss, And boding screech-owls make the concert full!
- An expression of disapproval made using such a sound. […] in open disputations ye haue bene openly conuict, ye haue bene openly driuen out of the schole with hisses […]
verb hisses · hissing · hissed
- To make a hiss, a sibilant sound of air escaping. As I started to poke it, the snake hissed at me.
- To call someone by hissing. I stepped out of my tent in Marrakech one night to get a bar of candy and caught your dose of clap when that Wac I never even saw before hissed me into the bushes.
- To condemn or express contempt (for someone or something) by hissing. The crowd booed and hissed her off the stage.
- To utter (something) with a hissing sound. Lies oft o’erthrown with ceaseless Venom spread, Still hiss out Scandal from their Hydra Head,
- To move with a hissing sound. The arrow hissed through the air.
- To emit or eject (something) with a hissing sound. The man in white pyjamas hissed soda into his glass.
- To whisper, especially angrily or urgently. "Are you quite sure of it," she hissed into his ear, "Mr Fang, Junior?"
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: siss, sibilate, hoot, boo, whoosh, bronx cheer, snort, sizz, bird, raspberry, razzing, whistle, alger, shush, sizzle, sough
Translations
Every language
noun sound made by a snake, cat, escaping steam, etc.
| Español | siseo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | シャー |
| Português | sibilo, silvo |
| Français | sifflement |
| Deutsch | Zischen, Fauchen |
| Italiano | sibilo |
| Română | sâsâit |
| Русский | шипе́ние šipénije |
| العربية | أَزِيز ʔazīz, فَحِيح faḥīḥ |
| עברית | נשיפה n'shifá, שריקה shriká |
Talk about this word "hiss." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hiss. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. hiss. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hiss "hiss." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hiss.Cite this
@misc{hiss_2026,
title = {hiss},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hiss},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
