shout-out

noun

ˈshau̇t-ˌau̇t 

variants or less commonly shoutout

plural shout-outs also shoutouts

informal

: a public expression of greeting, praise, or acknowledgment 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

And shout-out to all of the podcasters. —Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026

During his first speech as Senate President pro Tempore in early 2024, McGuire gave a shout-out to his beloved team, who were days away from facing the Kansas City Chiefs at the Super Bowl. —Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 11 Jan. 2026

Though some years past have been ripe with political commentary on stage, the topic was notably absent this year, with speech givers opting to shout-out their families and people inside the Globes ballroom as opposed to the weighty issues outside of it. —Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026

Seehorn went on to thank Haney and give their sons, Gray and McLain, a shout-out. —Katie Mannion, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

originally African American English, noun derivative of shout out "to give recognition to, publicly acknowledge"

Note: The popularization of shout-out has been attributed to the Black DJ and music video producer Ralph McDaniels, who co-hosted the program Video Music Box on the New York City public television station WNYC from 1984 to 1996.

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