sibilate

[ sib-uh-leyt ]
/ ˈsɪb əˌleɪt /
SEE 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.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of sibilate

1650–60; < Latin sībilātus (past participle of sībilāre to hiss); see sibilant, -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM sibilate

sib·i·la·tion, nounsib·i·la·tor, noun

Words nearby sibilate

siberian squill, siberian wallflower, siberite, sibilant, sibilant rale, sibilate, sibirʾ, sibiu, sibling, sibling species, sibship
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to sibilate

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

British Dictionary definitions for sibilate

sibilate
/ (ˈsɪbɪˌleɪt) /

verb

to pronounce or utter (words or speech) with a hissing sound

Derived forms of sibilate

sibilation, 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