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Glite Dictionary
🤫 Be quiet 🤫 Tell to hush
shh

shh

580 8.8
A soft sound that tells people to be quiet
  • interjection
  • /ʃ/
  • Informal
translation icon : chitón
  • But where I do not know. "We have to find him, and quickly." "Shh," warned the snake.
  • shh, stop

Examples

  • Shh, I want to surprise him.

    Jack Be Nimble (2022)

  • "Shh," Thrawn cut him off sharply, holding up a finger for silence, his eyes on the display.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Right out here in the open I go, "What were you?" "Shh," she says.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • "Shh," the person behind them said, or another one: "Please, the movie."

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Martin said, "Shh, pretty one, don't worry."

    Fiction book (1990)

  • "Shh, Cousin, the Spanish soldados over there will hear you." "Don't worry about them."

    Fiction book (1995)

  • "Shh," Rosie warned, and she dipped her head in the direction of the music box aisle.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Only Nora could hold her when she screamed; only Nora could quiet her by saying, "Shh, I'll stay until you sleep."

    Fiction book (1991)

  • "Shh!" Xucate straightened to her full height and glared at her friends.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • You want to say "shh!" to the world, even to those you love.

Synonyms

to shut up
vsshh
  • Offensive
∞ 4.1

Tell someone to be quiet in a rude or angry way

is milder and typically delivered as a soft quieting sound
to be quiet
vsshh
231 1.0

To stop making noise or talking

is used as a short audible prompt to cause that quiet state
to pipe down
vsshh
  • Informal
35 7.1

To become quiet or tell someone to stop making noise

is gentler and focused on a quick soft sound to quiet others
to hush
vsshh
33 3.4

Make a person or thing quiet so others stop making noise

is usually a brief sound request rather than a calming action
to shush
vsshh
  • Informal
31 5.5

Tell someone to be quiet by making a soft 'shh' sound

is more general, usable as either a soft noise or a spoken cue
shoo
vsshh
  • Informal
15 7.5

A short call to tell a person or animal to go away and be quiet

focuses specifically on a short soft sound aimed just at quieting
to put a sock in it
vsshh
  • UK
9 9.1

Tell someone to be quiet

is calmer and usually expressed as a short soft sound for silence
to hush up
vsshh
  • Informal
2 5.0

Make someone stop talking and be quiet

is usually a soft audible cue rather than an act to suppress speech
ssh
vsshh
  • Informal
9.5

A short sound people make to tell someone to be quiet

is typically a softer, gentler sound rather than a sharp exclamation
to whush
vsshh
  • UK
9.9

To tell someone quietly to stop talking

is the same idea but emphasizes a common short whispering noise
to wheesht
vsshh
  • UK
9.9

To tell someone to be quiet in a soft voice

is more neutral and widely used as a soft hush sound
to shut one's gob
vsshh
  • UK
9.9

To tell someone rudely to be quiet

is less aggressive and relies on a quieting noise or whisper

Antonyms

to speak
∞ 1.0

To talk with someone to share thoughts or feelings

How Forceful

to shut up
  • Offensive
∞ 4.1
to be quiet
231 1.0
to hush
33 3.4
shh
  • Informal
580 8.8
psst
  • Informal
8 9.9

Surface Forms

shh main

Etymology

Shh is the soft sound people make to tell others 'to be quiet', like hush or shush. The sound itself is a memory hook: it copies silence, which is why we use it to quiet a room.