"pish" meaning in English

See pish in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /pɪʃ/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pish.wav [Southern-England] Forms: more pish [comparative], most pish [superlative]
Rhymes: -ɪʃ Etymology: Expressive; perhaps partly from Scots pish (“piss”). Head templates: {{en-adj}} pish (comparative more pish, superlative most pish)
  1. (vulgar, colloquial, chiefly Scotland) Of poor quality; very bad. Tags: Scotland, colloquial, vulgar Related terms: pish pash (english: etymlogically unrelated)
    Sense id: en-pish-en-adj-0GMlKYpk Categories (other): Scottish English, English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 6 entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 39 19 12 13 14 2 Disambiguation of Pages with 6 entries: 0 1 25 11 7 6 7 1 28 4 5 7 0

Interjection

IPA: /pɪʃ/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pish.wav [Southern-England]
Rhymes: -ɪʃ Etymology: Expressive; perhaps partly from Scots pish (“piss”).
  1. Expressing disdain. Synonyms: pht, feh, meh, pooh, pshaw, bah, poh Derived forms: pish posh, pish tosh
    Sense id: en-pish-en-intj-HrdfJGyc Categories (other): Pages with 6 entries Disambiguation of Pages with 6 entries: 0 1 25 11 7 6 7 1 28 4 5 7 0

Noun

IPA: /pɪʃ/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pish.wav [Southern-England] Forms: pishes [plural]
Rhymes: -ɪʃ Etymology: Expressive; perhaps partly from Scots pish (“piss”). Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} pish (countable and uncountable, plural pishes)
  1. A sibilant noise (e.g. "psshh") made by birders and ornithologists to attract small birds. Tags: countable, uncountable
    Sense id: en-pish-en-noun-lyYfgLsn
  2. (uncountable) Synonym of pish posh (“nonsense, poppycock”). Tags: uncountable Synonyms: pish posh [synonym, synonym-of]
    Sense id: en-pish-en-noun-j4M5an1R

Verb

IPA: /pɪʃ/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pish.wav [Southern-England] Forms: pishes [present, singular, third-person], pishing [participle, present], pished [participle, past], pished [past]
Rhymes: -ɪʃ Etymology: Expressive; perhaps partly from Scots pish (“piss”). Head templates: {{en-verb}} pish (third-person singular simple present pishes, present participle pishing, simple past and past participle pished)
  1. To try to attract birds by making a sibilant noise (e.g. "psshh").
    Sense id: en-pish-en-verb-~0PH1qi6
  2. To express contempt.
    Sense id: en-pish-en-verb-55CtS~-w

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_text": "Expressive; perhaps partly from Scots pish (“piss”).",
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "intj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "0 1 25 11 7 6 7 1 28 4 5 7 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 6 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "pish posh"
        },
        {
          "word": "pish tosh"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Expressing disdain."
      ],
      "id": "en-pish-en-intj-HrdfJGyc",
      "links": [
        [
          "disdain",
          "disdain#English"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "pht"
        },
        {
          "word": "feh"
        },
        {
          "word": "meh"
        },
        {
          "word": "pooh"
        },
        {
          "word": "pshaw"
        },
        {
          "word": "bah"
        },
        {
          "word": "poh"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɪʃ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pish.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪʃ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pish"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Expressive; perhaps partly from Scots pish (“piss”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pishes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "pish (countable and uncountable, plural pishes)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A sibilant noise (e.g. \"psshh\") made by birders and ornithologists to attract small birds."
      ],
      "id": "en-pish-en-noun-lyYfgLsn",
      "links": [
        [
          "sibilant",
          "sibilant"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of pish posh (“nonsense, poppycock”)."
      ],
      "id": "en-pish-en-noun-j4M5an1R",
      "links": [
        [
          "pish posh",
          "pish posh#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(uncountable) Synonym of pish posh (“nonsense, poppycock”)."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "extra": "nonsense, poppycock",
          "tags": [
            "synonym",
            "synonym-of"
          ],
          "word": "pish posh"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɪʃ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pish.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪʃ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pish"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Expressive; perhaps partly from Scots pish (“piss”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pishes",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pishing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pished",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pished",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "pish (third-person singular simple present pishes, present participle pishing, simple past and past participle pished)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "To try to attract birds by making a sibilant noise (e.g. \"psshh\")."
      ],
      "id": "en-pish-en-verb-~0PH1qi6",
      "links": [
        [
          "sibilant",
          "sibilant"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              0,
              4
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 73, column 1:",
          "text": "Piſh for thee, Iſland dogge: thou prickeard cur of Iſland.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To express contempt."
      ],
      "id": "en-pish-en-verb-55CtS~-w",
      "links": [
        [
          "express",
          "express"
        ],
        [
          "contempt",
          "contempt"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɪʃ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pish.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪʃ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pish"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Expressive; perhaps partly from Scots pish (“piss”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more pish",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most pish",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "pish (comparative more pish, superlative most pish)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Scottish English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "39 19 12 13 14 2",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "0 1 25 11 7 6 7 1 28 4 5 7 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 6 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              16,
              20
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2017 October 17, @_megcorrigan, Twitter:",
          "text": "Bein a lesbo is pish. A tell a girl shes bangin nd ye get \"comin from u👸🏼\" lit nah am no sayin tht tae be yer pal am sayin it tae shag ye x",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of poor quality; very bad."
      ],
      "id": "en-pish-en-adj-0GMlKYpk",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(vulgar, colloquial, chiefly Scotland) Of poor quality; very bad."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "english": "etymlogically unrelated",
          "translation": "etymlogically unrelated",
          "word": "pish pash"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland",
        "colloquial",
        "vulgar"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɪʃ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pish.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪʃ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pish"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English interjections",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 6 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪʃ",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪʃ/1 syllable"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "pish posh"
    },
    {
      "word": "pish tosh"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Expressive; perhaps partly from Scots pish (“piss”).",
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "intj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Expressing disdain."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "disdain",
          "disdain#English"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɪʃ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pish.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪʃ"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "pht"
    },
    {
      "word": "feh"
    },
    {
      "word": "meh"
    },
    {
      "word": "pooh"
    },
    {
      "word": "pshaw"
    },
    {
      "word": "bah"
    },
    {
      "word": "poh"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pish"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English interjections",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 6 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪʃ",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪʃ/1 syllable"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Expressive; perhaps partly from Scots pish (“piss”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pishes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "pish (countable and uncountable, plural pishes)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A sibilant noise (e.g. \"psshh\") made by birders and ornithologists to attract small birds."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sibilant",
          "sibilant"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English uncountable nouns"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of pish posh (“nonsense, poppycock”)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "pish posh",
          "pish posh#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(uncountable) Synonym of pish posh (“nonsense, poppycock”)."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "extra": "nonsense, poppycock",
          "tags": [
            "synonym",
            "synonym-of"
          ],
          "word": "pish posh"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɪʃ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pish.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪʃ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pish"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English interjections",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 6 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪʃ",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪʃ/1 syllable"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Expressive; perhaps partly from Scots pish (“piss”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pishes",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pishing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pished",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pished",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "pish (third-person singular simple present pishes, present participle pishing, simple past and past participle pished)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "To try to attract birds by making a sibilant noise (e.g. \"psshh\")."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sibilant",
          "sibilant"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              0,
              4
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 73, column 1:",
          "text": "Piſh for thee, Iſland dogge: thou prickeard cur of Iſland.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To express contempt."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "express",
          "express"
        ],
        [
          "contempt",
          "contempt"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɪʃ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pish.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪʃ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pish"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English interjections",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 6 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪʃ",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪʃ/1 syllable"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Expressive; perhaps partly from Scots pish (“piss”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more pish",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most pish",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "pish (comparative more pish, superlative most pish)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "related": [
    {
      "english": "etymlogically unrelated",
      "translation": "etymlogically unrelated",
      "word": "pish pash"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English colloquialisms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English vulgarities",
        "Scottish English"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              16,
              20
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2017 October 17, @_megcorrigan, Twitter:",
          "text": "Bein a lesbo is pish. A tell a girl shes bangin nd ye get \"comin from u👸🏼\" lit nah am no sayin tht tae be yer pal am sayin it tae shag ye x",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of poor quality; very bad."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(vulgar, colloquial, chiefly Scotland) Of poor quality; very bad."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland",
        "colloquial",
        "vulgar"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɪʃ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pish.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/21/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-pish.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪʃ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pish"
}

Download raw JSONL data for pish meaning in English (6.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-20 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (d6fca27 and 65e1673). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.