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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
as in damns
the smallest amount or part imaginable
I don't give a hoot whether you want to go or not—you're going
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in screams
someone or something that is very funny
that stand-up comic is a hoot
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hoots
Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 3 Feb. 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
Noun
The Blackhawks dressing room was a rowdy scene after the game, their hoots and hollers reverberating throughout the bowels of the United Center.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 3 Feb. 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
-
Four Black commissioners, three white non-Hispanics and six Hispanics found common ground, voting 13-0 for repeal after a boisterous public debate that sometimes dissolved into shouts, jeers and catcalls.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2026
-
That the trio’s affection often expresses itself in frustrated shouts, sighed exasperation or muted defeat, has become part of the bargain for 38-year-old Anna, who takes care of and is cared for by her parents (Victor Slezak as Dad and Marceline Hugot as Mom).—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
31 Jan. 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
-
As fans headed to the exits, the US stars stayed on the ice, skating around with their nation’s flag wrapped around them, their screams of delight heard from the seats at the back of the arena.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
With luck, in a few months, the screams of their hungry owlets will pierce the night air.—
Kate Wong,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
At night, the desert comes alive with coyote howls, prowling skunks and the possibility of larger cats or black bears nearby.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The wind howls, and the sound of the runners grinding over the ice is surprisingly loud.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Bergholm employs some very effective sound design here, giving just a hint of animalistic growling to the kid’s lusty cries.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The narrator cries, rages, longs for the living body and the lively boy, and obsesses over painful details, especially the bleak journey by sea that brought the remains of his beloved friend back home.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Miami got some good licks on Mendoza, bloodying his lip early on a shot from Jakobe Thomas that probably could have drawn a flag for targeting.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Magazine staffers gathered in the editor’s office and listened in awe to pedal steel licks and tight, pretty harmonies — from the Dead!—
Ben Fong-Torres,
Rolling Stone,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Celebrity Keegan-Michael Key laughs with teammates during the all-star celebrity game at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Friday.—
Ronaldo Bolaños,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
-
After a few weeks of laughs and tunes featuring some of your favorite celebs, the late-night sketch comedy and variety show has taken some time off.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Blackhawks dressing room was a rowdy scene after the game, their hoots and hollers reverberating throughout the bowels of the United Center.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 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
Cite this Entry
“Hoots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoots. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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