as in bubbling
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hissing
Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Elsa Lanchester’s performance as the hissing, glamorous Bride — which was inspired, in part, by swans at the zoo — is fabulous as well, making a legendary impression with only seven minutes of screen time.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Steam was rising out of the hissing showers nearby, and there was Josh Allen slumped on a stool in front of his locker, looking like a club fighter from Jersey who had picked the wrong opponent for a payday.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
According to a blog post from The Spruce Pets, a new kitten can cause a lot of stress for an older cat, leading to behaviors like hissing, reclusiveness or even a sudden change in eating habits.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Aug. 2025
Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
My pal was in deep slumber, breathed through this kind of hissing accordion.
—Sam Lipsyte, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
And, that there was a goblin, squatting in my skull, rattling a metal pail full of bolts and hissing failure, rot, spoil.
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Warning signs a skunk is ready to spray include jumping, stamping their front feet, arching their back, clicking teeth, and hissing.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
Cats may stare at a certain spot in the room, or walk in to the room and start hissing for no apparent reason.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 10 Oct. 2025
Contractors working on a sewer project on the 4600 block of 10th Avenue at Stockton Boulevard reported hearing a hissing sound coming from a 2-inch gas line, according to authorities.
—Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2025
But on a recent warm September morning, the rhythmic beat of jackhammers crushing concrete with steel and the hissing flow of rush hour traffic greeted a group of amateur ornithologists.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 22 Sep. 2025
In 2021, scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore turned Madagascar hissing cockroaches into cyborgs, implanting electrodes in sensory organs known as cerci that were then connected to tiny computers.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
Noise of trees crackling and sap hissing, branches thumping down, timber being dragged and chopped.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Elsa Lanchester’s performance as the hissing, glamorous Bride — which was inspired, in part, by swans at the zoo — is fabulous as well, making a legendary impression with only seven minutes of screen time.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Steam was rising out of the hissing showers nearby, and there was Josh Allen slumped on a stool in front of his locker, looking like a club fighter from Jersey who had picked the wrong opponent for a payday.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
According to a blog post from The Spruce Pets, a new kitten can cause a lot of stress for an older cat, leading to behaviors like hissing, reclusiveness or even a sudden change in eating habits.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Aug. 2025
Verb
Signs of conflict between groups include hissing, fighting, blocking access to resources, or excessive focus on one another—often subtle but highly stressful for the affected feline.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
My pal was in deep slumber, breathed through this kind of hissing accordion.
—Sam Lipsyte, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
And, that there was a goblin, squatting in my skull, rattling a metal pail full of bolts and hissing failure, rot, spoil.
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Warning signs a skunk is ready to spray include jumping, stamping their front feet, arching their back, clicking teeth, and hissing.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
Cats may stare at a certain spot in the room, or walk in to the room and start hissing for no apparent reason.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 10 Oct. 2025
Contractors working on a sewer project on the 4600 block of 10th Avenue at Stockton Boulevard reported hearing a hissing sound coming from a 2-inch gas line, according to authorities.
—Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2025
But on a recent warm September morning, the rhythmic beat of jackhammers crushing concrete with steel and the hissing flow of rush hour traffic greeted a group of amateur ornithologists.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 22 Sep. 2025
In 2021, scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore turned Madagascar hissing cockroaches into cyborgs, implanting electrodes in sensory organs known as cerci that were then connected to tiny computers.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hissing
Noun
-
Even some in the opposition complained that the booing was impolitic.—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
-
As commissioner Cathy Engelbert took the microphone to congratulate the Las Vegas Aces and crown them the WNBA champions, fans in Phoenix drowned out her message with relentless booing.—
Shannon Ryan,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Once the hydrogen sulfide is captured, the solution can be renewed and reused multiple times simply by bubbling air through the solution.—
Sixteen Ramos,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
-
In the first chapter of our planet's long story, Earth was a hot, rocky world bubbling with lava.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
That calmness, however, was soon overtaken by the kitchen, with the hiss of the pans, stir of the pots and sharp calls exchanged between cooks quickly filling the air, along with the sounds of an upbeat Peruvian song playing in the background.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The first meeting resulted in a hiss from Miriam, but after a few days, the two are obsessed.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The 2000s Sacramento Kings star guard looks fit enough to curl off a screen and coolly drop in an 18-footer jumper in front of a frenzied home playoff crowd, but Bibby does his basketball work now with a whistle.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Arne Slot’s name boomed around Anfield just before the final whistle.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The Rockets have already started releasing videos of Şengün running pick-and-rolls as the ballhandler and swishing 3-pointers during the first few days of training camp.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Anderson plunges the audience into the rebels’ point of view, immersing us in the recalcitrant pride and swagger of Perfidia Beverly Hills, a revolutionary leader played by Teyana Taylor with a hypnotic sneer of defiance.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Jacob sneers, but doesn’t even wait for his son to answer.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Upstairs, Justus demonstrated how the large exterior windows crank open, allowing the fall air and sound of cars whizzing down Main Street to spill in.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
24 Oct. 2025
-
For those hoping for something more British, waiters at the Golden Lion Pub on Deck 3 were whizzing by with plates.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That comment and a smirk from Holly pushed her over the edge.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
-
As Hedda battles with herself, there’s a rage simmering underneath every smirk and every one of her bleak and destructive actions.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hissing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hissing. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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