How to Use hiss in a Sentence

hiss

verb
  • The audience hissed him off the stage.
  • The radiator hissed as it let off steam.
  • The crowd hissed and yelled as an older man tried to break the line.
    José De Córdoba, WSJ, 21 June 2019
  • Gordon slid back to the bag each time as the crowd hissed more and more.
    Matt Breen, Philly.com, 31 Aug. 2017
  • Well, at least there was no one to boo and hiss at her this time.
    Lisa Ryan, The Cut, 3 Nov. 2017
  • Perseus hissed at the new traffic lights and turned around back home.
    Joshua Barone, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2018
  • The video shows the hissing snake being pulled out of the toilet bowl.
    CBS News, 11 Aug. 2023
  • Along with the many reasons to hiss, there are many reasons to cheer.
    Mark Dawidziak, cleveland.com, 18 July 2019
  • The event was open to the public, and some of the attendees heckled and hissed at him.
    Tory Newmyer, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2018
  • The alligator hissed and waited at the base of the tree.
    Alex Horton, Anchorage Daily News, 4 July 2018
  • Sun to shine hot, for the sea to seethe, For the path of the dead to be hid, Holly to hiss in the fire, for the things Of the dead to be given.
    Richard O'Connell, National Review, 15 Sep. 2022
  • In some cases, people hissed or banged on the lids of trash cans, Mr. Toop said.
    Natasha Frost, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2023
  • The audience is encouraged to cheer for the good buys and boo and hiss the villains.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
  • Guay said Amos is sassy and spends much of his time hissing at zookeepers.
    Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2018
  • Hydrogen gas hissed through the breaches and drifted up to the top of the building.
    IEEE Spectrum, 31 Oct. 2011
  • Ringing in the ear: A buzzing, roaring, whistling or hissing sound in your ear.
    USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
  • There was blood on the floor, the otter was hissing, and my daughter was screaming.
    Kathy Leigh Berkowitz, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2020
  • Chloe reared up and hissed, then shot back across the apartment and retreated to her spot under the bed.
    Melissa Petro, Good Housekeeping, 29 June 2017
  • The sort of cat who hisses at my adorable grandchildren.
    Country Living, 8 Mar. 2023
  • Sensing the commotion and chaos, Aries began to hiss and growl.
    Brett Steenbarger, Forbes, 20 May 2021
  • Steam now hissed from a second manhole cover, and there were flames shooting up out of the first.
    Richard Brookhiser, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
  • His breath, hissing out into the moonlit air, would have fogged the lenses.
    David Canfield, EW.com, 26 June 2019
  • The snow hissed violently off the bottoms of my skis to form blue contrails.
    Tim Neville, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2016
  • The two hissed and struck postures at one another—and then, to Elbroch's shock, the kill site's cougar let the new arrival share her meal.
    Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 17 Oct. 2017
  • The beaver hissed but wasn't in a position to attack or bite firefighters called to help free him.
    Katy Moeller, idahostatesman, 21 May 2018
  • If the pressure relief valve begins hissing or spraying water, then something is wrong.
    Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The hissing noise tracked to his home office, where one wall felt particularly warm.
    J.c. Hallman, Oklahoma Watch, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Squeeze the handle too lightly and the bottle would sputter and hiss but release nothing.
    Literary Hub, 20 Jan. 2026
  • If steam bubbles and hisses out of the end grain as the firewood heats up on the fire, the wood is wet or green and needs to be seasoned longer before burning.
    Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2026
  • As always, the kittens will be hissing from a luxury suite a safe distance away from the action.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hiss.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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