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 Pacers assistant coach Jenny Boucek, who dove straight into the fray to retrieve Nesmith. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

As an official team ambassador for the Raptors, Drizzy received a shout-out on the broadcast and appeared on the jumbotron throughout the game. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2026

Special shout-outs to the staging (care of director Anne Kauffman) and the performances—Crystal Finn and Izabel Mar in particular. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026

Carrey, who accepted an honory César Award at the annual event, gave his longtime partner a shout-out during his acceptance speech. — Emma Banks, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 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