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

Over the years, Grey has shared pictures of her mom on social media, including some special Mother’s Day shout-outs. — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 9 July 2026

Charissa Thompson and Steven Cundari Fox Sports host Charissa Thompson and her boyfriend, Steven Cundari, gave a shout-out to the newlyweds in a series of photos taken in front of the New York City skyline. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Harry Styles appeared to give ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift a sweet shout-out on her wedding day. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 5 July 2026

Singer Tate McRae also shared a snap of her outfit, captioning it with a shout-out to the bride and groom. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 4 July 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