hiss
pronunciation
How to pronounce hiss in British English:
UK [hɪs]
How to pronounce hiss in American English:
US [hɪs]
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- Noun:
- a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)
- a cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt
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- Verb:
- make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
- move with a whooshing sound
- express or utter with a hiss
- show displeasure, as after a performance or speech
Word Origin
- hiss (v.)
- late 14c., of imitative origin. Johnson wrote, "it is remarkable, that this word cannot be pronounced without making the noise which it signifies." Related: Hissed; hissing.
- hiss (n.)
- 1510s, from hiss (v.).
Example
- 1. He couldn 't stand the pressure around his arm , the hiss of escaping air .
- 2. She listened to the hiss of steam escaping from the radiator beneath the kitchen window .
- 3. Four years ago , for instance , scientists using ground-based telescopes and a satellite to study the microwave " hiss " left over from the big bang gave the discovery a major boost .
- 4. They are the sounds synonymous with an australian barbecue : sizzling sausages , the hiss of a beer being opened , and of course , the constant slapping of flesh as an army of mosquitoes descends .
- 5. Meet wild cats and some other carnivorous animal attacked , the hognose snake neck immediately become flat , mouth hiss , make the attack , like a cobra , it will tilt tail mimic rattlesnakes , the opponent away .