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sibilate

[ sib-uh-leyt ]
/ ˈsɪb əˌleɪt /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sibilate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), sib·i·lat·ed, sib·i·lat·ing.

to hiss.

verb (used with object), sib·i·lat·ed, sib·i·lat·ing.

to utter or pronounce with a hissing sound.

RELATED WORDS

whisper, disapprove, hoot, whiz, deride, condemn, blow, decry, damn, rasp, shrill, mock, fizz, sizzle, spit, whistle, revile, wheeze, catcall, swish

Nearby words

  1. siberian wallflower,
  2. siberite,
  3. sibilant,
  4. sibilant rale,
  5. sibilantly,
  6. sibir,
  7. sibirʾ,
  8. sibiu,
  9. sibling,
  10. sibling species

Origin of sibilate

1650–60; < Latin sībilātus (past participle of sībilāre to hiss); see sibilant, -ate1
Related formssib·i·la·tion, nounsib·i·la·tor, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for sibilate

sibilate

/ (ˈsɪbɪˌleɪt) /

verb

to pronounce or utter (words or speech) with a hissing sound
Derived Formssibilation, noun
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 sibilate

sibilate

v.

1650s, from Latin sibilatus, past participle of sibilare "to hiss, whistle" (see sibilant (adj.)). Related: Sibilated; sibilating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper