psst
8
9.9
To quietly get someone's attention without speaking loudly
- interjection
- /pɪst/
- Informal
:
psst
- Psst, hey kids, over here, I'm a cop!
- psst, come here
- psst, hey
Examples
-
Psst! That's my elevator pitch; more on it later.
Academic text (2009) -
Hey, psst, what's the plan?
-
Hey, psst, what's her name?
-
Crouched behind the trash can, Patrick peeks out, smiling: Psst... hi.
Fiction book (2000) -
Psst, can you keep a psst secret?
-
Psst, look over there while I talk to psst you.
-
Psst, I think someone is listening to our psst conversation.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A soft sound to get someone's attention without speaking
is a quiet attention signal used more generally rather than just the sound
How Quiet
Surface Forms
psst main
Etymology
Psst comes from the soft hissing sound people make to 'get someone's attention' quietly, like the simple sounds 'shh' or a small 'hiss'. So psst is used when you want to call someone in a secret or low voice.