hoots 1 of 2

plural of hoot
1
as in howls
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Verb
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
  • Isaac’s Oliver shouts of his typical watering hole.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Their shouts came from them with surety.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The last gasps of this ballpark, potentially until 2026, were screams and boos and then silence.
    Matt Gelb, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The event website says head to Balboa Park to get your screams at The Haunted Trail.
    Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The ugly episode drew howls from those lawmakers in both parties who are calling to tone down the hostilities and focus on legislating, not seeking attention on social media.
    Mike Lillis, The Hill, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The screams, the reason everyone assembles, when the screams come, after a few collective inhales and exhales and a moment to gather one’s thoughts, the screams come like long guttural howls.
    Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The cries of the bird caught by the bat matched those of the European robin.
    Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2025
  • The cries and coos Lydia and all the other Fairfield mothers made around her little sister made Catherine sick.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Kershaw was on the winning end more often than not, but that didn’t mean the Giants didn’t also get in their licks.
    Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
  • From bouncy dancehall riddims and hip-hop production inflections to tender country and western guitar licks, Treasure Self Love distills Iké’s wide range of childhood music into a succinct 11-track study of achieving wholeness by unflinchingly examining the darkest parts of your past.
    Kyle Denis, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Looking ahead to all of the tomorrows, all the adventures, the laughs, and all of the love.
    Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
  • In the images, Powers and Destiny posed together lounging on a couch, embracing each other, sharing a few laughs, and staring into each other’s eyes.
    Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Ruidoso, New Mexico — The soft dribble of rain drapes a herd of cowboy hats as an auctioneer hollers bidding numbers into the mist.
    Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
  • This included early American music forms, marches, spirituals, field hollers, work songs and African rhythms, as well as their musical descendants, like jazz, blues, gospel, country and rock ‘n’ roll.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Attorney General Pam Bondi insults Democrats in Senate hearing.
    Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 8 Oct. 2025
  • In the case of Governor Pritzker insults his body, body shamed him.
    Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hoots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoots. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on hoots

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!