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Definition of "hiss" []

  • A sharp sibilant sound similar to a sustained s. (noun)
  • An expression of disapproval, contempt, or dissatisfaction conveyed by use of this sound. (noun)
  • To make a hiss: The audience booed and hissed. The teakettle hissed on the stove. (verb-intransitive)
  • To utter with a hiss: (verb-transitive)
  • To express (a negative view or reaction) by uttering a hiss: The audience hissed its displeasure. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "hiss" in a sentence
  • "Unfortunately the tablet recorded a hiss from the mixer."
  • "At that time the British Constable was responsible for law and order in hiss village."
  • "Preston hit another hidden button and two large speakers lowered from the ceiling above the monitors; both hissed, but not from any electronic malfunction in their circuitry: The hiss was the sound of silence."