hooted; hooting; hoots
1
: to shout or laugh usually derisively
2
: to make the natural throat noise of an owl or a similar cry
3
: to make a loud clamorous mechanical sound
1
: a sound of hooting
especially
: the cry of an owl
2
: a minimum amount or degree : the least bit
don't give a hoot
3
: something or someone amusing
the play is a real hoot
variants
or hoots
chiefly Scotland
—used to express impatience, dissatisfaction, or objection
Examples of hoot in a Sentence
Verb
We could hear an owl hooting in the woods.
I hooted at the car in front of me.
The crowd booed and hooted when it was announced that the show was canceled.
The crowd hooted its disapproval.
The speaker was hooted off the platform by a small group of protesters.
Noun
The announcement was met with hoots of derision.
the courtroom erupted in hoots of laughter upon hearing the witness's sarcastic retort to the lawyer's arrogant remark
Recent Examples on the Web
USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
Neighbors had recently spotted Flaco roosting on fire escapes during the day and hooting at night.
—Tracey Tully, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024
Republicans mostly avoided taking the bait of hooting back at Biden, at least until fairly late in the evening, but Democrats engaged energetically in order to keep the visual spectacle lively.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 8 Mar. 2024
Many people think all owls make a hooting noise, but that is not the case.
—Megan Marples, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024
Jim O’Brien were hooting and hollering and singing ‘Moon Over Miami’ [site of Super Bowl V].
—Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 27 Jan. 2024
The longtime cohost playfully hit back at a group of guests in the crowd during Monday's Live With Kelly & Mark broadcast, after the attendees hooted and hollered during the pair's opening chat.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 25 Sep. 2023
He has been heard hooting from rooftops and water towers across the Upper West Side, sometimes calling out into the post-midnight darkness for hours to establish his territory and possibly woo a mate.
—Ed Shanahan, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024
An total audience of more than 90,000 will hoot and holler for Garth Brooks as the country music star plays, count ’em, six shows at Sleep Train Arena.
—Chris MacIas and Tim Swanson, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
EW.com, 18 Mar. 2024
There was the buzz of girls gossiping, the hoots and hollers of prize-winning kids.
—Emily Ziff Griffin, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024
Among the supporting characters, Aaron Choi is an absolute hoot as Iago, Jafar’s sidekick and yes man.
—Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Feb. 2024
For every 30-minute skin up the 7,000-foot-high glacier, I was rewarded with a cruise-y, five-minute descent in fresh powder and a chorus of my own hoots and hollers reverberating off the icy peaks.
—Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 3 Feb. 2024
Warren Sherrill directs his ace ensemble — Emma Messenger, Torsten Hillhouse and Mark Collins — with an eerie mix of hoot and horror as well as a fine appreciation for what remains absurd and theatrical about the set-up of William Goldman’s play, based on Stephen King’s 1987 bestselling novel.
—Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2024
Gay endorsed this as free speech, a hoot since Harvard, during her reign as the dean, seemed to enjoy crushing free speech.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 11 Jan. 2024
His anecdotes about Bubbles, Jackson’s famous chimp, his bird, and his snake are a hoot.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 29 Jan. 2024
The red car was a hoot; the blue car was a total handful at anything like full power.
—Michael Teo Van Runkle, Ars Technica, 17 Nov. 2023
Verb
For over a year, Flaco spent his days lounging in parks and on fire escapes and hooting on top of water towers at night, NPR reported.
—USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
Neighbors had recently spotted Flaco roosting on fire escapes during the day and hooting at night.
—Tracey Tully, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024
Republicans mostly avoided taking the bait of hooting back at Biden, at least until fairly late in the evening, but Democrats engaged energetically in order to keep the visual spectacle lively.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 8 Mar. 2024
Many people think all owls make a hooting noise, but that is not the case.
—Megan Marples, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024
Jim O’Brien were hooting and hollering and singing ‘Moon Over Miami’ [site of Super Bowl V].
—Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 27 Jan. 2024
The longtime cohost playfully hit back at a group of guests in the crowd during Monday's Live With Kelly & Mark broadcast, after the attendees hooted and hollered during the pair's opening chat.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 25 Sep. 2023
He has been heard hooting from rooftops and water towers across the Upper West Side, sometimes calling out into the post-midnight darkness for hours to establish his territory and possibly woo a mate.
—Ed Shanahan, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024
An total audience of more than 90,000 will hoot and holler for Garth Brooks as the country music star plays, count ’em, six shows at Sleep Train Arena.
—Chris MacIas and Tim Swanson, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
Noun
The Waylon Smithers Dancers and Hee Haw interstitials are a hoot, but memo to Fox: Don't be getting any ideas.
—EW.com, 18 Mar. 2024
There was the buzz of girls gossiping, the hoots and hollers of prize-winning kids.
—Emily Ziff Griffin, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024
Among the supporting characters, Aaron Choi is an absolute hoot as Iago, Jafar’s sidekick and yes man.
—Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Feb. 2024
For every 30-minute skin up the 7,000-foot-high glacier, I was rewarded with a cruise-y, five-minute descent in fresh powder and a chorus of my own hoots and hollers reverberating off the icy peaks.
—Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 3 Feb. 2024
Warren Sherrill directs his ace ensemble — Emma Messenger, Torsten Hillhouse and Mark Collins — with an eerie mix of hoot and horror as well as a fine appreciation for what remains absurd and theatrical about the set-up of William Goldman’s play, based on Stephen King’s 1987 bestselling novel.
—Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2024
Gay endorsed this as free speech, a hoot since Harvard, during her reign as the dean, seemed to enjoy crushing free speech.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 11 Jan. 2024
His anecdotes about Bubbles, Jackson’s famous chimp, his bird, and his snake are a hoot.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 29 Jan. 2024
The red car was a hoot; the blue car was a total handful at anything like full power.
—Michael Teo Van Runkle, Ars Technica, 17 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hoot.' 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
Middle English houten, of imitative origin
Interjection
origin unknown
First Known Use
Verb
13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Interjection
1540, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of hoot was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing hoot
Articles Related to hoot
Dictionary Entries Near hoot
Cite this Entry
“Hoot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoot. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
hoot
1 of 2 verb1
: to utter a loud shout usually of scorn
2
: to make the characteristic call of an owl or a similar sound
3
: to drive out by hooting
hooter
noun
hoot
2 of 2 noun1
: a sound of hooting
especially
: the call of an owl
2
: a very small amount
don't care a hoot
3
: an amusing person or thing
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