shout-out

noun

ˈshau̇t-ˌau̇t 

variants or less commonly shoutout

plural shout-outs also shoutouts

informal

: a public expression of greeting, praise, or acknowledgement directed toward a person or group often as part of a performance, recording, or broadcast

She opened her acceptance speech with a shout-out to James Baldwin, the author of the book on which the movie was based, calling him "one of the greatest artists of our time."

—Neal Justin

Here are a few lyrical shout-outs to some of hip hop's favorite designers.

—Scott Poulson-Bryant

She even gave a shoutout to one of her former teachers on Twitter, and encouraged others to do the same.

—Emily Sweeney

Examples of shout-out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

High-performing teams don’t run on shout-outs and gift cards. —Teresa Hopke, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025

Sarah Mower contributed a piece on the lasting impact of Helmut Lang, Lynn Yaeger penned an ode to grunge, and Luke Leitch shared his recollections of the decade’s menswear (shout-out for warehouse-sale Maharishi!). —Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 19 Aug. 2025

While Jonas' daughters were not present for the special event, the musician, 36, gave them a shout-out during his acceptance speech. —Kayla Grant, People.com, 15 Aug. 2025

And during a press conference Thursday (Aug. 14), the Detroit Lions quarterback shared his reaction to the shout-out. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shout-out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

shout–out

noun

variants also shoutout

ˈshau̇t-ˌau̇t

informal

: a public expression of greeting, praise, or acknowledgment directed toward a person or group often as part of a performance, broadcast, or recording