Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - hiss

(hisses, hissing, hissed) 1. To hiss means to make a sound like a long ‘s’. The tires of Lenny’s bike hissed over the wet pavement as he slowed down... My cat hissed when I stepped on its tail... Caporelli made a small hissing sound of irritation. VERB: V prep, V, V-ing • Hiss is also a noun. ...the hiss of water running into the burnt pan... N-COUNT • hissing ...a silence broken only by a steady hissing from above my head. N-UNCOUNT 2. If you hiss something, you say it forcefully in a whisper. ‘Now, quiet,’ my mother hissed... ‘Stay here,’ I hissed at her. VERB: V with quote, V at/to n with quote 3. If people hiss at someone such as a performer or a person making a speech, they express their disapproval or dislike of that person by making long loud ‘s’ sounds. One had to listen hard to catch the words of the President’s speech as the delegates booed and hissed... Some local residents whistled and hissed at them as they entered. VERB: V, V at n, also V n • Hiss is also a noun. After a moment the barracking began. First came hisses, then shouts. = hissing N-COUNT: usu pl