hoots 1 of 2

plural of hoot
1
as in shouts
a loud vocal expression of strong emotion the courtroom erupted in hoots of laughter upon hearing the witness's sarcastic retort to the lawyer's arrogant remark

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2
as in snorts
a vocal sound made to express scorn or disapproval he ignored the hoots and jeers coming from the back of the crowd and kept on speaking until he'd had his say

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3
4

hoots

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hoot

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hoots
Noun
Church bells, owl hoots and sprinklers keeping the grass hydrated during this dry spell fill the space between the occasional motor trudging along a main road devoid of commotion. — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Ranging from the sound of emergency sirens and birds screeching to low grunts and guttural hoots, their vocalizations reverberate from a sanctuary in the hot, dry hills of the Santa Clarita Valley, north of Los Angeles. — Jaimie Ding, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026 With a few hoots and hollers, and even a couple clucks, the group took off on their ascent to the Betty Bear Hut. — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 30 July 2026 Wiseman said to hoots from the crowd of media gathered at the site. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026 Owl hoots are most effective at striking up turkeys when owls are naturally active, which is around dawn and dusk. — Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026 Cowboy and cowgirl hoots and hollers complement the rumbling of the massive animals’ hooves as they’re rounded up into the corrals. — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 28 Dec. 2025 There are hoots and hollers from raucous tourists on Bourbon Street, for example. — Matt Alderton, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025 There are a few hoots and hollers as the others agree or protest. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoots
Noun
  • And then the spontaneous cheers and shouts erupted as the aircraft, full of returning troops, lifted off the South Vietnam air strip.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026
  • The gunshots, shouts, vehicles, movement, and marching that López and Harrington craft offscreen all create a kind of strident tide that threatens to wash Sebastian, Rafael, and/or both of them away at key moments in their story.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • The Rodents of Unusual Size that attack Westley in a swamp work because they are played by small men in rodent suits, rather than coolly conjured from pixels; their deliberate artifice is the thrill, and Reiner provided the voice for their hideous snorts.
    — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • But for the most part, both are getting their points across, landing a few licks and, so far, avoiding the sort of major gaffe or damaging moment that could reshape the race.
    — AJC.com, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Shafee operates in a languid, free-form zone throughout, trading his funky licks for loose, spacious lines and tolling, repetitive chords.
    — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 6 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • On the title track Chen reaches for the psaltery (a kind of zither without frets), creating a meandering, medieval atmosphere whose ubiquitous electronic background buzz foreshadows the biting screams and blistering bass to come.
    — James Gui, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2026
  • After Pan announced that Kiley had called him to concede, the attendees at his election night event at Frends Brewhouse erupted into joyful screams, applause and eventually chanted his name.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • The sharp howls after a patient traveling from abroad presented with a full-term fetal demise?
    — Caroline Cherston, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026
  • At night, the coyote howls echo through the development keeping residents awake.
    — N. Kirkpatrick, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • That's what happens when your star insults moviegoers or goes off on tangents about the characters's sexuality.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
  • Ohm quickly insults nearly every employee at this small hotel within moments of meeting them, except for the young, pretty bartender, Fiona (Florence Ordesh).
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Deidra terrorizes a teenage boy who dares to hit on her, and no one cries, not even the birthday girl.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Alarmed by the cries, Sita urges Lakshmana to go to Rama’s aid.
    — Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • This is despite the fact that Harry and Meghan’s first public event back in British soil resulted in a pretty warm reception, and nothing even close to boos.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 9 Nov. 2026
  • His 51-yard attempt also sailed wide right, and the Chiefs headed to the locker room under a chorus of boos at Arrowhead Stadium.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Nov. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Hoots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoots. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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