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 site, which bubbled and hissed for decades, is still called the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Disagreements bubbled up about everything from ethical-use cases to whether Bitcoin’s ecosystem should expand to include new tokens.
    Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The Nuggets began to pull away when Jokic, Aaron Gordon (15 points) and Johnson all swished 3s during an 11-0 run that gave Denver an 88-74 lead midway through the third quarter.
    ABC News, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
  • As the shot swished through the net, James lifted Kennard off his feet.
    Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Even the most promising characters, like a self-aware God with anxiety issues, fizzled out and were left to deliver undercooked one-liners.
    Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
  • The House refused to hear it, and the talk fizzled.
    Jeffrey S. Solochek, Sun Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Spike Lee whizzed through the crowd with a smile on his face and a spring in his step.
    Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026
  • At one point, the magazine publisher even whizzed by Bailey to buy a bottle of water and a banana from the convenience store.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 14 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Chefs are eye-to-eye with customers, who curiously watch fish being sliced and sizzled.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Las Vegas has similarly sizzled.
    Denise Chow, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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