Hiss — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)

a cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/hˈɪs/

🇬🇧British English

/hˌɛpɐtˈɒlədʒi/

🇮🇳Indian English

/hˌɛpɐtˈɒlədʒi/

1 syllable Say it as /hˈɪs/.

Examples

the performers could not be heard over the hissing of the audience

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

Bronx cheer sizz hushing sibilate boo raspberry sibilation razzing hissing razz siss snort whoosh hoot fizzle bird

Antonyms

applaud

Parts of Speech

noun	a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval) “the performers could not be heard over the hissing of the audience”
noun	a cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt
verb	make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
verb	move with a whooshing sound
verb	express or utter with a hiss
verb	show displeasure, as after a performance or speech

Word Forms

hiss	verb	show displeasure, as after a performance or speech
sibilate	verb	make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
boo	verb	show displeasure, as after a performance or speech
hoot	verb	to utter a loud clamorous shout
razz	verb	harass with persistent criticism or carping
snort	verb	indicate contempt by breathing noisily and forcefully through the nose
hiss	noun	a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)
hisser	noun	someone who communicates disapproval by hissing
hissing	noun	a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)
sibilant	adjective	of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as `f', `s', `z', or `th' in both `thin' and `then')
sibilation	noun	a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)
sibilant	noun	a consonant characterized by a hissing sound (like s or sh)
boo	noun	a cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

zischen

ein reibender Laut (besonders als Ausdruck von Missbilligung)

🇫🇷French

sifflement

un son fricatif (surtout comme expression de désapprobation)

🇪🇸Spanish

silbido

un sonido fricativo (especialmente como expresión de desaprobación)

🇮🇹Italian

sibilo

un suono fricativo (soprattutto come espressione di disapprovazione)

🇳🇱Dutch

fluiten

een fricatief geluid (vooral als uiting van afkeuring)

🇵🇹Portuguese

silvo

um som fricativo (especialmente como expressão de desaprovação)

🇷🇺Russian

шипение

фрикативный звук (особенно как выражение неодобрения)

India

🇮🇳Hindi

फुफकार

एक व्यंग्यात्मक ध्वनि (विशेषकर अस्वीकृति की अभिव्यक्ति के रूप में)

🇧🇩Bengali

হিস

একটি ঘৃণ্য শব্দ (বিশেষত অসম্মতির অভিব্যক্তি হিসাবে)

🇮🇳Tamil

சத்தம்

ஒரு உரத்த ஒலி (குறிப்பாக மறுப்பின் வெளிப்பாடாக)

🇮🇳Telugu

ఈల

ఒక ఘోష ధ్వని (ముఖ్యంగా అసమ్మతి యొక్క వ్యక్తీకరణగా)

🇮🇳Marathi

हिसका

एक घृणास्पद आवाज (विशेषत: नापसंतीची अभिव्यक्ती म्हणून)

🇮🇳Gujarati

હિસ

ઉગ્ર અવાજ (ખાસ કરીને અસ્વીકારની અભિવ્યક્તિ તરીકે)

🇮🇳Kannada

ಹಿಸ್ಸ್

ಘರ್ಷಣೆಯ ಧ್ವನಿ (ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ ಅಸಮ್ಮತಿಯ ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯಾಗಿ)

🇮🇳Malayalam

ഹിസ്

ഒരു ഘോരശബ്ദം (പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് വിസമ്മതത്തിൻ്റെ പ്രകടനമായി)

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਹਿਸ

ਇੱਕ ਭੜਕਾਊ ਆਵਾਜ਼ (ਖ਼ਾਸਕਰ ਅਸਵੀਕਾਰ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਗਟਾਵੇ ਵਜੋਂ)

🇵🇰Urdu

ہس

ایک تلخ آواز (خاص طور پر ناپسندیدگی کے اظہار کے طور پر)

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

嘶

摩擦音（尤其是作为不赞成的表达）

🇯🇵Japanese

シューッという音

摩擦音（特に不承認の表現として）

🇰🇷Korean

스음

마찰음(특히 반대의 표현)

🇻🇳Vietnamese

tiếng rít

một âm thanh cọ xát (đặc biệt là một biểu hiện của sự không tán thành)

🇹🇭Thai

ฟ่อ

เสียงเสียดแทรก (โดยเฉพาะการแสดงออกถึงความไม่เห็นด้วย)

🇮🇩Indonesian

mendesis

suara frikatif (terutama sebagai ekspresi ketidaksetujuan)

🇵🇭Filipino

sumisitsit

isang fricative na tunog (lalo na bilang isang pagpapahayag ng hindi pag-apruba)

🇲🇾Malay

desisan

bunyi geseran (terutamanya sebagai ungkapan ketidaksetujuan)

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

همسة

صوت احتكاكي (خاصة كتعبير عن الرفض)

🇮🇷Persian

هیس

صدای اصطکاکی (مخصوصاً به عنوان ابراز نارضایتی)

🇹🇷Turkish

tıslama

sürtünmeli bir ses (özellikle onaylamamanın bir ifadesi olarak)

🇮🇱Hebrew

לִלְחוֹשׁ

צליל פריקטיבי (במיוחד כביטוי של אי הסכמה)

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'hiss'?

The primary meaning of 'hiss' is 'a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'hiss' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'hiss' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'hiss' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'hiss' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'hiss' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'hiss' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'hiss' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'hiss' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'hiss' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'hiss' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted