The purpose of this study was to explore the functional role and mechanism of miR-155 in the development of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). miR-155 expression was quantified in renal cancers, matched adjacent non‑tumor tissues and renal cell lines using quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Cell proliferation, apoptosis and migratory activity were measured following suppression of miR-155 expression by antisense oligonucleotides. miR-155 targets were scanned using target prediction programs. Following the inhibition of miR-155, target gene expression was detected by western blotting. The expression of miR-155 was upregulated in clear cell RCC (ccRCC) tissue and renal cancer cell lines. The suppression of miR-155 inhibited cell proliferation and migratory activity and induced apoptosis in renal cancer cells. The suppressor gene suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS-1) and BACH1 were predicted as potential target genes by bioinformatics analysis. The suppression of miR-155 inhibited BACH1 protein expression. miR-155 may function as an oncogene by targeting BACH1. Thus, the inhibition of miR-155 may be an effective way to treat RCC.