hiss
verb (used without object)
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.
hiss
1 American
[his]
/ hɪs /
verb (used without object)
-
hisses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hissed,
past participle, past
-
hissing
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
hisses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hissed,
past participle, past
-
hissing
present participle
noun
-
hisses
plural
Hiss
2
American
[his]
/ hɪs /
noun
hiss
1
British
/ hɪs /
noun
-
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
interjection
verb
-
(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
Hiss
2
British
/ hɪs /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
hisssimple
-
hissessimple
-
have hissedperfect
-
has hissedperfect
-
am hissingprogressive
-
are hissingprogressive
-
is hissingprogressive
-
have been hissingperfect progressive
-
has been hissingperfect progressive
Past
-
hissedsimple
-
had hissedperfect
-
was hissingprogressive
-
were hissingprogressive
-
had been hissingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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 )
Explanation
To hiss is to make a long s sound. Snakes are known to hiss, and sometimes unhappy audience members will hiss instead of booing. The sound you make when you hiss — also called a hiss — sounds just like the word itself. In fact, you can't say the word without hissing. This type of sound is also known as sibilance, a consonant that's pronounced when a stream of air passes through teeth that are touching or close together. A barista's steaming wand hisses as she foams milk, and some types of snakes hiss in warning.
Vocabulary lists containing hiss
Instead of "Said": Vexed Verbiage to Express Anger
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"LAFFF"
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Selection Vocabulary 4, Unit 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Not a call of the wild, a roar or a hiss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The midtempo “Ridin’ High” starts with a descending harp glissando that pours into a synthesizer seasoned by a vibraslap’s rattlesnake hiss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
Play Under The Rain or Breathe Again and you'll hear a telltale hiss running throughout the tracks.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026
As Aggie explodes at this overreach, you can almost hear Nile’s inner voice exuberantly hiss, “Bingo.”
From Salon ● Nov. 19, 2025
“Why, nothing, of course!” the dragon said, with an indignant hiss.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Not long before McCarthy’s speech, the purported Russian spy Alger Hiss was convicted of perjury and atomic physicist Klaus Fuchs was unmasked as a Russian spy embedded in the Los Alamos atomic bomb laboratory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
He was joined on set by Hiss, who had just become the group’s new day-to-day leader.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2024
Nicki clapped back after Megan's new track Hiss appeared to reference her, and released her own diss track, Big Foot, in return.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2024
That article never made it to print — it was unclear if Hiss even responded to his request — but Mr. Navasky found far better luck landing guest writers at the Nation.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 24, 2023
In 1945, Hiss had led the group of international diplomats who eventually signed the United Nations Charter.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
As the helium hisses out, the volunteers flatten the plastic skin, tucking in Snoopy’s ears or SpongeBob’s nose to prepare for the final roll.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025
In North Africa and the Levant, it’s shakshuka: eggs poached in a rich, spiced tomato sauce that hisses when it hits the pan and settles into something molten and slow.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2025
Gabriel Byrne’s new heavy, the Chancellor, hisses to Castañeda’s doomed daddy as Eve watches in horror.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2025
The only sounds definitively recorded from adult female ostriches were hisses.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2024
"What are you still doing here?" he hisses at me.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Burns, a retired police officer, looked up from his microphone and hissed back: “Tee-hee-hee, by a bunch of idiots!”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
At the bank's annual general meeting that year, normally sedate elderly shareholders hissed and booed.
From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026
The fat hissed in greeting, and within seconds the kitchen was filled with oregano’s scent.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2025
At the Hollywood Bowl, we hissed at the Baroness, booed at the Nazis and shot off confetti poppers when Maria got her first kiss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2024
Owen shifted in the snow and hissed in pain.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
But one of the earliest signs may be something unexpected: a persistent ringing, buzzing, or hissing sound that no one else can hear.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
The cistern on my toilet has been constantly refilling and making a hissing noise, so I asked a plumbing company to send someone over.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
They found Madagascar "hissing" cockroaches, a bulky insect named for its noisy defence mechanism, and dubia cockroaches, an invasive critter bred as a snack for pet lizards.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
He ended the exchange by holding a finger to his lip and hissing, “Shhhh!”
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
I could tell she thought it was cool, because her eyebrows went up on her face as soon as I said that about the hissing.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
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