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

Fans also faced some ribbing from Grayson Waller, who gave a shout-out to his favorite NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles. —Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2025

Groff is a gay star of musical theater (as well as television like Glee, Looking, and Mindhunter, which does get a shout-out, and films like Frozen and Matrix: Resurrections). —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2025

During her speech, the Las Vegas Aces star gave a subtle shout-out to Adebayo, who was sitting courtside. —Jordana Comiter, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025

Bieber then saved her final shout-out for her husband, pop superstar Justin Bieber. —Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 25 Apr. 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