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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Their hoots and hollers drowned Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s explanation of how a title defense fell short. Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 31 May 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 All the segments understand the assignment, aiming primarily to elicit hoots and hollers. James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025 The town hall crowd received my comments with strong clapping and appreciative hoots and hollers. Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoots
Noun
  • As the judge read out the sentences, shouts of protest rang out from the defendants’ box.
    ABC News, ABC News, 26 June 2026
  • The majority of fans on the Long Island, New York property appeared to be pulling against the Colorado native with countless shouts for his golf ball to find bunkers and minor roars after each of his five bogeys during the final round.
    Mark Harris, FOXNews.com, 23 June 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
  • Zachary Stevenson’s performance replicates the nerdy-yet-hip Texan through impressive guitar licks and superb vocals that are equally comfortable with sweet ballads and on-the-edge rockabilly songs.
    Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
  • Elk, deer, and buffalo had migrated to and from mineral licks throughout North America for millennia.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
Noun
  • After seeing their brows bleached for the first time at our shoot, Megan and Daniela’s excited screams cause everyone’s heads to whip toward the glam room in a mixture of both fear and curiosity.
    Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 25 June 2026
  • Both human and artificial, and tantalizingly difficult to parse, the screams puncture the track’s otherwise steamy atmosphere, like a reminder of reality in the middle of a dreamy reverie.
    Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 24 June 2026
Verb
  • Up in the stands, fans waved their own flags — including some sneaked in over the objections of FIFA and the courts — and wrestled with emotions, as boos, howls and hisses rained down from all corners of the stadium.
    Rick Maese, Washington Post, 16 June 2026
  • Roaring and grunting, his body sleek with blood and sweat, Conan tussles and grapples with a series of opponents, dominating them all, while an audience of torch-wielding vulgarians shouts and howls at the pit’s lip.
    Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • Saariaho never once loses control of momentum and never insults her own tastefulness.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Such efforts at avoidance would lead to cries to apply payroll taxes to non-salary incomes such as dividends.
    Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • When Judge Miguel De La O announced his decision, an audible gasp and cries could be heard from Bland inside the courtroom.
    Chelsea Jones, CBS News, 23 June 2026
Noun
  • Neither team has pressed forward with much conviction in the first 15 minutes, and after some back-and-forth passing on the back line of the Netherlands' defense, boos could be heard from restless spectators in Monterrey.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026
  • Despite being a bargain signing and a key player with two Champions League and three La Liga titles, his relationship with the club and fans has reportedly soured due to recent trophyless seasons and boos.
    Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Hoots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoots. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.

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