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Synonyms

psst

American  
[pst] / pst /
Or pst

interjection

  1. (used to attract someone's attention in an unobtrusive manner.)

psst British  
/ pst /

interjection

  1. an exclamation of beckoning, esp one made surreptitiously

"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

Etymology

Origin of psst

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Still, I can’t wait to hear what he has to say when someone informs him, psst, that Russia has a whole bunch of nuclear weapons.

From Washington Post • Feb. 23, 2023

“An enthusiastic one would be like pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst,” he demonstrates, in a psst that lasts several seconds.

From Washington Post • Jan. 8, 2016

The bus door opened with a hissing psst, like it was telling a secret.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

She tried again, and with a psst the match was lit.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

Finally, they got to their block, and with a creak, push, tick tick, psst, it was time for Hazel to get off.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.