Adjacent Words

Hiss definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HISS, v.i.
1. To make a sound by driving the breath between the tongue and the upper teeth; to give a strong aspiration, resembling the noise made by a serpent and some other animals, or that of water thrown on hot iron. Hissing is an expression of contempt.
The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee. Ezek 27.
2. To express contempt or disapprobation by hissing.
3. To whiz, as an arrow or other thing in rapid flight.
HISS, v.t. To condemn by hissing; to explode. The spectators hissed him off the stage.
1. To procure hisses or disgrace.
--That of an hour's age doth hiss the speaker.
HISS, n. The sound made by propelling the breath between the tongue and upper teeth; the noise of a serpent, a goose, etc.
He hiss for hiss returned.
1. An expression of contempt or disapprobation, used in places of public exhibition.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval); "the performers could not be heard over the hissing of the audience" [syn: hiss, hissing, hushing, fizzle, sibilation]
2: a cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt [syn: boo, hoot, Bronx cheer, hiss, raspberry, razzing, razz, snort, bird] v
1: make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval [syn: hiss, siss, sizz, sibilate]
2: move with a whooshing sound [syn: hiss, whoosh]
3: express or utter with a hiss [syn: hiss, sizz, siss, sibilate]
4: show displeasure, as after a performance or speech [syn: boo, hiss] [ant: acclaim, applaud, clap, spat]

Merriam Webster's

verb Etymology: Middle English, of imitative origin Date: 14th century intransitive verb to make a sharp sibilant sound <the crowd hissed in disapproval> <hissing steam> transitive verb 1. to express disapproval of by hissing <hissed the performers off the stage> 2. to utter or whisper angrily or threateningly and with a hiss • hiss noun • hisser noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 intr. (of a person, snake, goose, etc.) make a sharp sibilant sound, esp. as a sign of disapproval or derision (audience booed and hissed; the water hissed on the hotplate). 2 tr. express disapproval of (a person etc.) by hisses. 3 tr. whisper (a threat etc.) urgently or angrily ('Where's the door?' he hissed). --n. 1 a sharp sibilant sound as of the letter s. 2 Electronics unwanted interference at audio frequencies. Phrases and idioms: hiss away (or down) drive off etc. by hisses. hiss off hiss (actors etc.) so that they leave the stage. Etymology: ME: imit.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hiss Hiss v. i. [imp. & p. p. Hissed; p. pr. & vb. n. Hissing.] [AS. hysian; prob. of imitative origin?; cf. LG. hissen, OD. hisschen.] 1. To make with the mouth a prolonged sound like that of the letter s, by driving the breath between the tongue and the teeth; to make with the mouth a sound like that made by a goose or a snake when angered; esp., to make such a sound as an expression of hatred, passion, or disapproval. The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee. --Ezek. xxvii. 36. 2. To make a similar noise by any means; to pass with a sibilant sound; as, the arrow hissed as it flew. Shod with steel, We hissed along the polished ice. --Wordsworth.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hiss Hiss, v. t. 1. To condemn or express contempt for by hissing. If the tag-rag people did not clap him and hiss him, according as he pleased and displeased them. --Shak. Malcolm. What is the newest grief? Ros. That of an hour's age doth hiss the speaker. --Shak. 2. To utter with a hissing sound. The long-necked geese of the world that are ever hissing dispraise. --Tennyson.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hiss Hiss, n. 1. A prolonged sound like that letter s, made by forcing out the breath between the tongue and teeth, esp. as a token of disapprobation or contempt. ``Hiss'' implies audible friction of breath consonants. --H. Sweet. A dismal, universal hiss, the sound Of public scorn. --Milton. 2. Any sound resembling that above described; as: (a) The noise made by a serpent. But hiss for hiss returned with forked tongue. --Milton. (b) The note of a goose when irritated. (c) The noise made by steam escaping through a narrow orifice, or by water falling on a hot stove.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(hisses, hissing, hissed) 1. To hiss means to make a sound like a long 's'. The tires of Lenny's bike hissed over the wet pavement as he slowed down... My cat hissed when I stepped on its tail... Caporelli made a small hissing sound of irritation. VERB: V prep, V, V-ing • Hiss is also a noun. ...the hiss of water running into the burnt pan... N-COUNT • hissing ...a silence broken only by a steady hissing from above my head. 2. If you hiss something, you say it forcefully in a whisper. 'Now, quiet,' my mother hissed... 'Stay here,' I hissed at her. VERB: V with quote, V at/to n with quote 3. If people hiss at someone such as a performer or a person making a speech, they express their disapproval or dislike of that person by making long loud 's' sounds. One had to listen hard to catch the words of the President's speech as the delegates booed and hissed... Some local residents whistled and hissed at them as they entered. VERB: V, V at n, also V n • Hiss is also a noun. After a moment the barracking began. First came hisses, then shouts. = hissing N-COUNT: usu pl

Easton's Bible Dictionary

to express contempt (Job 27:23). The destruction of the temple is thus spoken of (1 Kings 9:8). Zechariah (10:8) speaks of the Lord gathering the house of Judah as it were with a hiss: "I will hiss for them." This expression may be "derived from the noise made to attract bees in hiving, or from the sound naturally made to attract a person's attention."

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

his (sharaq): "To hiss" has two applications:

(1) to call,

(2) to express contempt or scorn.

(1) It is the translation of sharaq, a mimetic word meaning to hiss or whistle, to call (bees, etc.), (a) Isa 5:26, "I will hiss unto them from the ends of the earth," the Revised Version (British and American) "hiss for them (margin "him") from the end of the earth"; 7:18, "Yahweh will hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria"; namely, Egyptians whose land was noted for flies (18:1) and Assyrians whose country was pre-eminently one of bees. Dangerous enemies are compared to bees in De 1:44; Ps 118:12 (Skinner's Isaiah): Zec 10:8, "I will hiss for them, and gather them" (His own people, who will come at His call).

(2) More often, to hiss is to express contempt or derision (1Ki 9:8; Job 27:23; Jer 19:8, etc.). In this sense we have also frequently a hissing (2Ch 29:8; Jer 19:8; 25:9,18; 29:18; 51:37; Mic 6:16, shereqah); Jer 18:16, sheriqoth or sheruqoth; Ecclesiasticus 22:1, "Every one will hiss him (the slothful man) out in his disgrace" (eksurisso, "to hiss out"); The Wisdom of Solomon 17:9, "hissing of serpents" (surigmos).

W. L. Walker

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Sibilation, hissing. II. v. n. 1. Sibilate. 2. Whiz, shrill, whistle, whir. III. v. a. Condemn by hisses, scout, ridicule, damn.

Moby Thesaurus

Bronx cheer, aphonia, artificial voice, assibilate, assibilation, bark, bawl, bellow, bird, blare, blat, blubber, boil, boil over, boo, booing, boom, bray, breathe, broken speech, broken tones, broken voice, bubble, bubble over, bubble up, burble, buzz, cackle, catcall, chant, childish treble, chirp, choked voice, coo, cracked voice, croak, crow, decry, deride, disparage, drawl, dysarthria, dyslalia, dyslogia, dysphasia, dysphonia, dysphrasia, effervesce, effervescence, effervescing, exclaim, falsetto, ferment, fizz, fizzle, fizzling, flute, frication, frictional rustling, gasp, give the bird, give the raspberry, gnarl, growl, grumble, grunt, guggle, gurgle, harshness, hawking voice, hissing, hoarseness, hoot, hush, hushing, idioglossia, idiolalia, impairment of speech, jeer, keen, lilt, lisp, lisping, loss of voice, mock, mumble, murmur, mutter, muzzy speech, nasal tone, nasalization, pant, pipe, plop, pooh, pooh-pooh, quaver, raspberry, razz, rhonchus, roar, rumble, scream, screech, seethe, shake, shriek, shush, shushing, sibilance, sibilate, sibilation, siffle, sigh, sigmatism, simmer, sing, siss, sissing, sizz, sizzle, sizzling, snap, snarl, sneeze, sneezing, sniff, sniffle, snore, snort, snuff, snuffle, sob, sparkle, speech defect, speech impediment, spit, splutter, sputter, squall, squash, squawk, squeal, squelch, squish, sternutation, stertor, swish, taunt, the bird, thunder, tremor, trumpet, twang, wail, warble, wheeze, whine, whish, whisper, whistle, whistle at, whistling, white noise, whiz, whoosh, work, yap, yawp, yell, yelp, zip