honked; honking; honks
1
: to make the characteristic cry of a goose
2
: to make a sound resembling the cry of a goose
: to cause to honk
honk a horn
: the characteristic cry of a goose
also
: a similar sound
Examples of honk in a Sentence
Verb
We could hear the geese honking overhead.
I honked at the car in front of me.
Noun
the honk of a horn
Recent Examples on the Web
Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
Outside Gesù Church in downtown Miami, sirens blared and horns honked in their usual weekday fashion but inside, hundreds of Catholics practiced the solemn ritual of Ash Wednesday.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024
If that is not possible, try to get an officer’s attention on the road by honking a horn or flashing lights.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024
Gomez told Storyful that the birds refused to move for anyone or anything — staying still when cars honked at them and even doing the same when a child screamed at them, too.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 4 Jan. 2024
Charlie is still taking antibiotics for his injuries but is calmer and honks in excitement when Hermon greets him.
—Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Some protestors parked in front of what appears to be delivery app Deliveroo CEO Will Shu's London home and honked their horns.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024
Detroit Animal Control also warns that wild cats often crawl inside of cars to keep warm by the engine; to give them a chance to escape before starting the engine, knock on the hood of the car or honk the horn to startle them out of place.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 19 Jan. 2024
The laws are different from noise ordinances, which may ban honking at certain times and places.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024
Mady Camara, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Some apps can even remotely set the car’s climate controls, make the horn honk or turn on its lights.
—Kashmir Hill, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2023
Then again, each honk seeming longer and louder than the one before.
—Jared Lemus, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024
Her take on Aloysius is smart and uncompromising but a bit small in crucial moments, leaving the splendid Schreiber — a strapping 6-foot-3, with a tough guy’s brush cut and a thick Bronx honk — to outman her.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
When the middle finger’s popularity grew once more, it became known as a wordless version of the goose-like honks and hisses of displeasure preferred by Brits and other Europeans.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2024
Friedland rejected the plaintiff’s claim that the statute violates the 1st Amendment by allowing for some expression, like a honk in the event of a driving hazard, but not for all, like a honk at a political protest.
—Christian Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2023
Mecham screams, punctuated by honks and profanity, according to footage from inside his vehicle June 10 reviewed by Fox News Digital.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 29 Oct. 2023
But, due to the pandemic, those wanting to congratulate him had to drive by in a motorcade and honk — no in-person encounters.
—Alysa Guffey, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023
Verb
Many had short white hair and spoke in honking New York accents.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
Outside Gesù Church in downtown Miami, sirens blared and horns honked in their usual weekday fashion but inside, hundreds of Catholics practiced the solemn ritual of Ash Wednesday.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024
If that is not possible, try to get an officer’s attention on the road by honking a horn or flashing lights.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024
Gomez told Storyful that the birds refused to move for anyone or anything — staying still when cars honked at them and even doing the same when a child screamed at them, too.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 4 Jan. 2024
Charlie is still taking antibiotics for his injuries but is calmer and honks in excitement when Hermon greets him.
—Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Some protestors parked in front of what appears to be delivery app Deliveroo CEO Will Shu's London home and honked their horns.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024
Detroit Animal Control also warns that wild cats often crawl inside of cars to keep warm by the engine; to give them a chance to escape before starting the engine, knock on the hood of the car or honk the horn to startle them out of place.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 19 Jan. 2024
The laws are different from noise ordinances, which may ban honking at certain times and places.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024
Noun
Thousands of young people flowed into the Mbour stadium to see him on Friday evening, the air filling with the honk of vuvuzelas.
—Mady Camara, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Some apps can even remotely set the car’s climate controls, make the horn honk or turn on its lights.
—Kashmir Hill, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2023
Then again, each honk seeming longer and louder than the one before.
—Jared Lemus, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024
Her take on Aloysius is smart and uncompromising but a bit small in crucial moments, leaving the splendid Schreiber — a strapping 6-foot-3, with a tough guy’s brush cut and a thick Bronx honk — to outman her.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
When the middle finger’s popularity grew once more, it became known as a wordless version of the goose-like honks and hisses of displeasure preferred by Brits and other Europeans.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2024
Friedland rejected the plaintiff’s claim that the statute violates the 1st Amendment by allowing for some expression, like a honk in the event of a driving hazard, but not for all, like a honk at a political protest.
—Christian Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2023
Mecham screams, punctuated by honks and profanity, according to footage from inside his vehicle June 10 reviewed by Fox News Digital.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 29 Oct. 2023
But, due to the pandemic, those wanting to congratulate him had to drive by in a motorcade and honk — no in-person encounters.
—Alysa Guffey, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'honk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
imitative
First Known Use
Verb
1813, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1813, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near honk
Cite this Entry
“Honk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honk. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
honk
nounˈhäŋk,
ˈhȯŋk
: the cry of a goose
also
: a similar sound (as of a horn)
honk
verb
More from Merriam-Webster on honk
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for honk
Nglish: Translation of honk for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of honk for Arabic Speakers
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