hiss
[his]
- to make or emit a sharp sound like that of the letter s prolonged, as a snake does, or as steam does when forced under pressure through a small opening.
- to express disapproval or contempt by making this sound: The audience hissed when the actor forgot his lines.
- to express disapproval of by hissing: The audience hissed the controversial play.
- to silence or drive away by hissing (usually followed by away, down, etc.): They hissed down the author when he tried to speak.
- to utter with a hiss.
- a hissing sound, especially one made in disapproval.
Origin of hiss
1350–1400; Middle English hissen; probably imitative; compare Old English hyscan to jeer at, rail (derivative of husc jeering; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German hosc)
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com2, 4. boo, razz, heckle.
Hiss
[his]
- Alger,1904–96, U.S. public official, accused of espionage 1948 and imprisoned for perjury 1950–54.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for hiss
Contemporary Examples
When the hiss of reptiles turns to words, you hear something that you have never heard and will never forget.
Back in 2005, for instance, he argued that the U.S. housing bubble was starting to hiss badly.
Historical Examples
Gor, I—I liked the fun, and so I thumpt away, and hiss'd as lustily as the best of 'em.
The ContrastRoyall Tyler
Soften the burning flame so that it is just barely beginning to hiss.
The Automobile Storage BatteryO. A. Witte
The frozen fountains now plash, and hiss, and sparkle in the sun.
The Daltons, Volume II (of II)Charles James Lever
To hiss the curate, 'tis a ticklish sort of a job after that.
A Bit O' Love (Fourth Series Plays)John Galsworthy
The last words were spoken in a whisper, emphasized into almost a hiss.
David ElginbrodGeorge MacDonald
hiss
- a voiceless fricative sound like that of a prolonged s
- such a sound uttered as an exclamation of derision, contempt, etc, esp by an audience or crowd
- electronics receiver noise with a continuous spectrum, caused by thermal agitation, shot noise, etc
- an exclamation of derision or disapproval
- (intr) to produce or utter a hiss
- (tr) to express with a hiss, usually to indicate derision or anger
- (tr) to show derision or anger towards (a speaker, performer, etc) by hissing
Word Origin
C14: of imitative origin
Hiss
- Alger. 1904–96, US government official: imprisoned (1950–54) for perjury in connection with alleged espionage activities
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for hiss
v.
late 14c., of imitative origin. Johnson wrote, "it is remarkable, that this word cannot be pronounced without making the noise which it signifies." Related: Hissed; hissing.
n.
1510s, from hiss (v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper