hissed

Definition of hissednext
past tense of hiss
as in whistled
to make a sound like that of stretching out the speech sound \s\ the frightened kitten hissed at us when we tried to pick it up

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hissed The heaters hissed and clanked, let off steam, fogged up the windows. Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025 Many more dogs licked the cat than the opposite, and more felines ignored, ran away, and hissed at the dog than vice versa. Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025 Getting hissed off So here’s a thing that happened. Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2025 Nineteen hours after departure the train took its final breath, hissed and braked into the historic port of Narvik. The Editors, Outside, 31 Aug. 2025 The previous week, Nini had boldly hissed at her from five feet away. Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hissed
Verb
  • That prospect flared up for Seoane as the home fans whistled and booed at the final whistle, and became reality on Monday when the club’s board acted.
    Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos are closing in on the AFC Championship Game, and a minor war of words has bubbled up between the two sides.
    Matt Schooley, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
  • As a design hub with deep avant-garde roots out of which bubbled the still influential Bauhaus movement, Germany is no stranger to contemporary design or mixing historic architecture with modern updates.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Allen swished a 3 with two seconds to spare.
    Doug Haller, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Jamar Brown swished a 3-pointer from the corner and scored a layup off an inbound pass.
    Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The latest tariff tantrum in the stock market may have already fizzled.
    Fred Imbert, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026
  • For Democrats, hopes of another upset legislative win fizzled.
    Adam Beam, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The Austrian destination where for years Princess Diana brought her sons to go skiing and King Juan Carlos of Spain whizzed down the slopes with his wife Sofía is reinventing itself.
    CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Traffic whizzed by the shady corner of Boulevard and Archibald Avenue on the cold Monday afternoon.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 12 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Sparklers sizzled, boom-badoom-boom bass thumped, and Nicki Minaj emerged onstage at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest last month to deliver the latest plot twist in an exhausting year for politics and pop culture.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Never mind that the Padres exited fast from the playoffs three months ago and that their offseason hasn’t sizzled.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Hissed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hissed. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.

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