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
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Recent Examples of hissed
Refn has made characters moving and speaking in a benzodiazepine fugue state — lines hissed out stiltedly into dead air, spoken like throwing stones down a well — his signature in recent films.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 19 May 2026
His line drive hissed past a leaping Steffen for a 3-2 Miami lead.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
Like the tongues of a multi-headed snake, the Trail of Tears hissed through Chattanooga, Northern Alabama, Western North Carolina, Middle Tennessee and up through Southern Illinois, down through Missouri, across Arkansas before stopping in what is now Eastern Oklahoma.
—Keith Sharon, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
The site, which bubbled and hissed for decades, is still called the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.
—Quanta Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
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
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 19 May 2026
His line drive hissed past a leaping Steffen for a 3-2 Miami lead.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
Like the tongues of a multi-headed snake, the Trail of Tears hissed through Chattanooga, Northern Alabama, Western North Carolina, Middle Tennessee and up through Southern Illinois, down through Missouri, across Arkansas before stopping in what is now Eastern Oklahoma.
—Keith Sharon, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
The site, which bubbled and hissed for decades, is still called the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.
—Quanta Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hissed
Verb
-
The sauce bubbled at a lower temperature before Ginci added linguine to the mix.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
10 Dec. 2025
-
And that’s what happens to people who get too bubbled in that way.—
Susan Morrison,
New Yorker,
30 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
When the video screen showed Caruso, the rabid Thunder fans doubled their volume, as if a game-winning buzzer-beater had just swished.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
19 May 2026
-
Jokic swished a 29-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Denver a 60-51 halftime lead.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Previous attempts this spring to pass multi-year extensions also fizzled, resulting in a 45-day extension that was signed into law in April.—
Justin Papp,
CNBC,
10 June 2026
-
Russia’s economic outlook has clouded over as the initial boost from massive military spending has fizzled.—
James Jordan,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Inside the deli, workers leapt for cover as bullets whizzed through the store.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2026
-
Fayetteville, North Carolina — Three small drones whizzed overhead, piloted by soldiers on laptops.—
Eleanor Watson,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Zacha cut to the high slot and sizzled a wrist shot over Binnington’s glove arm.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
5 Dec. 2025
-
Sporting a floor-length gown and platform heels, Hurley sizzled in red while Cyrus opted for a black ensemble complete with a silk shirt and a cowboy hat.—
Caché McClay,
USA Today,
20 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hissed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hissed. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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