hiss

¹

[ his ]

verb (used without object)

1. 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.
2. to express disapproval or contempt by making this sound:

   The audience hissed when the actor forgot his lines.

   Synonyms: heckle, razz, boo

verb (used with object)

1. to express disapproval of by hissing:

   The audience hissed the controversial play.

2. to silence or drive away by hissing (usually followed by away, down, etc.):

   They hissed down the author when he tried to speak.

   Synonyms: heckle, razz, boo

3. to utter with a hiss.

noun

1. a hissing sound, especially one made in disapproval.

Hiss

²

[ his ]

noun

1. Alger, 1904–96, U.S. public official, accused of espionage 1948 and imprisoned for perjury 1950–54.

hiss

¹

/ hɪs /

noun

1. a voiceless fricative sound like that of a prolonged s
2. such a sound uttered as an exclamation of derision, contempt, etc, esp by an audience or crowd
3. electronics receiver noise with a continuous spectrum, caused by thermal agitation, shot noise, etc

interjection

1. an exclamation of derision or disapproval

verb

1. intr to produce or utter a hiss
2. tr to express with a hiss, usually to indicate derision or anger
3. tr to show derision or anger towards (a speaker, performer, etc) by hissing

Hiss

²

/ hɪs /

noun

1. HissAlger19041996MUSPOLITICS: politician Alger. 1904–96, US government official: imprisoned (1950–54) for perjury in connection with alleged espionage activities

Derived Forms

• ˈhisser, noun

Other Words From

• hisser noun
• hissing·ly adverb
• outhiss verb (used with object)
• un·hissed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hiss¹

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 )

Word History and Origins

Origin of hiss¹

C14: of imitative origin

Example Sentences

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

Forty-five years after “Alien” launched horror into space, little hasn’t been analyzed about its hissing xenomorphs, face-huggers or the lingering untrustworthiness of “synthetic persons.”

From Salon

An audience member who was at the performance of Antony and Cleopatra told the BBC he heard "hissing from above", before seeing "an object fall through the roof - and into the crowd".

From BBC

Amid the din of traffic, hissing buses and loud stereos, the playground sat empty, and men lay on the grassy strips, napping under the sun.

From Los Angeles Times

By mid-May, she had spent about $1.4 million on the race, nearly 50 times hiss spending.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• catcall
• hoot