EN

Synonyms for hiss

18 synonyms
4 meanings

noun
verb

Most common

boo snort hoot sibilance

Synonyms by meaning

Noun

1. Boo

boo, hoot, snort, bird, birdy CA, razz, raspberry, razzing informal

2. Sibilation

sibilation, hushing

Other

sibilance, zip, wiz, whiz US, whizz UK

Verb

1. Sibilate

sibilate, siss informal, sizz dated rare

2. Fizzle — to make a hiss, a sibilant sound of air escaping

Other

Definitions

n. 1
A sibilant sound, such as that made by a snake or escaping steam; an unvoiced fricative.
n. 2
An expression of disapproval made using such a sound.
v. 1
To make a hiss, a sibilant sound of air escaping.
As I started to poke it, the snake hissed at me.
v. 2
To call someone by hissing.

Related words

Word family: hissy
Other spellings: hish

Forms

Plural: hisses → boos, hoots, snorts, birds…
Past participle: hissed
e.g. hissed → sibilated, sissed, sizzed, fizzled…

Example sentences

boo I've seen Tom play peek-a-boo with his baby.
snort I don't like the sound the pigs make when they snort.
hoot The barn owl does not hoot, but screeches.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
hiss		rising
boo		rising
snort		rising
hoot		rising
sibilance		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: boo¹, zip¹, wiz¹
4 letters: bird¹, hoot¹, fizz¹, whiz¹, razz, siss, sizz
5 letters: snort¹, birdy², whizz
6 letters: whoosh¹, fizzle²
7 letters: hushing, razzing
8 letters: sibilate
9 letters: raspberry³, sibilance
10 letters: sibilation

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (birdy² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: sifflement
Italiano: fischio
Español: silbido
Deutsch: Pfiff