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

Having that freedom also lets Hilty give a shout-out to friends in the audience from time to time. —Dave Quinn, People.com, 15 May 2025

And a special shout-out to friend of the newsletter Marcela García, who was part of the Boston Globe team that was named a finalist for Pulitzer Prize in editorial writing. —Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025

Here, in no particular order, are ten that deserve big shout-outs for either creativity, bold statements, beauty, or all of the above. —Gretta Monahan, Boston Herald, 8 May 2025

Sarandos, playing a cheeky version of himself, delivers a sharp line about contractual award show shout-outs before signing off with an insult. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 May 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