- (transitive) to pronounce (a speech sound) with or as a sibilant
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
as•sib•i•late
(ə sib′ə lāt′),USA pronunciation v., -lat•ed, -lat•ing. [Phonet.]
v.t.
v.i.
as•sib′i•la′tion, n.
v.t.
- Phoneticsto change into or pronounce with the accompaniment of a sibilant sound or sounds.
v.i.
- Phoneticsto change by assibilation.
- Phoneticsto become a sibilant or a sound containing a sibilant.
- Latin assībilātus murmured, whispered at, hissed (past participle of assībilāre). See as-, sibilate
- 1835–45
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
assibilate /əˈsɪbɪˌleɪt/ vb