whoop

verb

\ˈhüp,

ˈhu̇p, ˈhwüp, ˈhwu̇p,

ˈwüp,

ˈwu̇p

whooped; whooping; whoops

Definition of whoop

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to utter a whoop in expression of eagerness, enthusiasm, or enjoyment : shout

2 : to utter the cry or call of an animal (such as an owl or gibbon)

3 : to make the characteristic whoop of whooping cough

4a : to go or pass with a loud noise

b : to be rushed through by acclamation or with noisy support the bill whooped through both houses

transitive verb

1a : to utter or express with a whoop

b : to urge, drive, or cheer on with a whoop

2 : to agitate in behalf of

3 : raise, boost whoop up the price

whoop it up

1 : to celebrate riotously : carouse

2 : to stir up enthusiasm

whoop

noun

Definition of whoop (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : a loud yell expressive of eagerness, exuberance, or jubilation —often used interjectionally

b : a shout of hunters or of people in battle or pursuit

2 : the loud cry or call of an animal (such as an owl, whooping crane, or gibbon) that resembles the sound of the word whoop

3 : the crowing intake of breath following a paroxysm in whooping cough

4 : a minimum amount or degree : the least bit not worth a whoop

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about whoop

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Examples of whoop in a Sentence

Verb

The children whooped with joy at the sight of all the presents.

Noun

let out a whoop of joy he acts so rudely that I doubt he gives a whoop about other people's feelings

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

What actually happened is that Smith caused the game to go into overtime, where the Warriors proceeded to whoop that ass 124-114. — Stephen A. Crockett Jr., The Root, "In Defense of J.R. Smith, the Loneliest Man in Cleveland," 1 June 2018 Cano getting whooped with a belt by the assistant principal for smacking another kid upside the head. — Longreads, "La Otra," 26 June 2018 Outside the castle walls, tens of thousands of well-wishers thronged the streets, cheering, waving and whooping as the retinue passed, escorted by mounted members of the Royal Household Cavalry in full regalia. — Christina Boyle, latimes.com, "Joyous crowds greet newlyweds Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after their marriage ceremony," 19 May 2018 Everyone had cheered when Ovechkin and Holtby came out, but the Caps fans stood up and whooped. — Charlotte Wilder, SI.com, "All Hail the Summer of Alexander Ovechkin," 12 June 2018 Taylor Swift’s need to have her ass whooped is a passive observation by Monique, not hate speech. — Michael Harriot, The Root, "The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Make the Mailbag Great Again," 15 June 2018 As a lieutenant in the Battle of Bladensburg, Key and his men, got their behinds whooped on the battlefield by the Colonial Marines—runaway American slaves, who fought as sailors and soldiers for the British in return for their freedom. — Felice León, The Root, "The National Anthem Is Racist, and We Made a Video in Case You Forgot," 4 July 2018 Dino Otto, 22, of Sacramento, behind cheers from his aunt, who was whooping after nearly every point, was dominating his opponent, Shane York, from Ohio. — Alexa Philippou, The Seattle Times, "Northern California bocce team, new to USA Games, shines in singles pool play," 2 July 2018 The whole class was whooping and clapping for me, the instructor looking like a mother whose child just won the Olympics. — Ilana Strauss, SELF, "I Was Terrified of Falling, So I Tried Parkour," 9 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Every few minutes, it would be hoisted in the air to whoops and smiles. — Adam Kilgore, chicagotribune.com, "What happened in Vegas: All night with the Capitals and the Stanley Cup," 8 June 2018 Do my math and go to the payments website to give them $444 and whoops! — Dana Mcmahan, The Courier-Journal, "From broken AC to missing cleaners, a day in the life of an Airbnb host," 12 July 2018 Surrounded by toxins Juana Leilani recalls the shrill whoops from the chemical alarms that kept sounding as Scud missiles landed around them in Saudi Arabia at the start of the war. — Bill Lambrecht, Houston Chronicle, "Veterans Affairs chief’s firing hurt vets’ medical effort," 13 May 2018 Mistake Fares, Decoded For the most part, mistake fares come down to an itty-bitty human or technical error—like, whoops, that $154 flight actually costs $1,540. — Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "What Booking a 'Mistake Fare' Really Means," 22 June 2018 Surrounded by toxins Juana Leilani recalls the shrill whoops from the chemical alarms that kept sounding as Scud missiles landed around them in Saudi Arabia at the start of the war. — Bill Lambrecht, Houston Chronicle, "Veterans Affairs chief’s firing hurt vets’ medical effort," 13 May 2018 Surrounded by toxins Juana Leilani recalls the shrill whoops from the chemical alarms that kept sounding as Scud missiles landed around them in Saudi Arabia at the start of the war. — Bill Lambrecht, Houston Chronicle, "Veterans Affairs chief’s firing hurt vets’ medical effort," 13 May 2018 The groups all hung out on the small platform together, tapping in and out for alternating performances and often accompanying one another with whoops and claps from behind. — Tim Greiving, latimes.com, "The concert was at a hospital. The instrument was the human body," 10 Apr. 2018 Surrounded by toxins Juana Leilani recalls the shrill whoops from the chemical alarms that kept sounding as Scud missiles landed around them in Saudi Arabia at the start of the war. — Bill Lambrecht, Houston Chronicle, "Veterans Affairs chief’s firing hurt vets’ medical effort," 13 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'whoop.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near whoop

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Last Updated

8 Nov 2018

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Time Traveler for whoop

The first known use of whoop was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for whoop

whoop

verb

English Language Learners Definition of whoop

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to shout loudly in an enthusiastic or excited way

whoop

noun

English Language Learners Definition of whoop (Entry 2 of 2)

: a high, loud sound expressing enthusiasm or excitement

See the full definition for whoop in the English Language Learners Dictionary

whoop

verb

\ˈhüp,

ˈhu̇p\

whooped; whooping

Kids Definition of whoop

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to shout or cheer loudly and strongly “It's the men from camp,” the judge said. “They're searching for us.” We started whooping.— Wilson Rawls, Where the Red Fern Grows

2 : to make the high-pitched gasping sound that follows a coughing attack in whooping cough