hiss
Plural: hisses
Noun
- a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)
- "the performers could not be heard over the hissing of the audience"
- a cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt
- A sibilant sound, such as that made by a snake or escaping steam; an unvoiced fricative.
- An expression of disapproval made using such a sound.
Verb
Verb Forms: hissed, hissing, hisses
- To make a sharp, sibilant sound.
- make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
- move with a whooshing sound
- express or utter with a hiss
- show displeasure, as after a performance or speech
- To make a hiss, a sibilant sound of air escaping.
- To call someone by hissing.
- To condemn or express contempt (for someone or something) by hissing.
- To utter (something) with a hissing sound.
- To move with a hissing sound.
- To emit or eject (something) with a hissing sound.
- To whisper, especially angrily or urgently.
Examples
- As I started to poke it, the snake hissed at me.
- The arrow hissed through the air.
- The crowd booed and hissed her off the stage.
- The poor cat hissed as it backed away from the approaching man.
- The Words With Friends opponent began to hiss in frustration after a devastating bingo.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English hissen, probably of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Middle Dutch hissen, hisschen (“to chase away, shoo”), Middle Low German hissen (“to chase, hound, incite”).
Synonyms
bird, boo, Bronx cheer, fizzle, hissing, hoot, hushing, raspberry, razz, razzing, sibilate, sibilation, siss, sizz, snort, whoosh
Antonyms
Scrabble Score: 7
hiss: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordhiss: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
hiss: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary