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

The Ports, who played as their alternate Copa de la Diversión name, the Cheladas, also gave an option to give dad a shout-out on the jumbotron during a game where the Cheladas shut out the Visalia Rawhide, 8-0. — Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 22 June 2026

Nicole Kidman surprised fans with a public shout-out to ex-husband Keith Urban on June 21. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 22 June 2026

On June 21, the Family Ties costars each celebrated the big 7-9, and Gross gave his fellow Gemini a special social media shout-out. — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 22 June 2026

On day two of Britain's most prestigious annual horse-racing event, a young child managed to not only catch the attention of the Princess of Wales, 44, but also get a sweet, personalized shout-out. — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 19 June 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