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
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
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
-
There was an appeal for a penalty after Tyler Adams and an Aussie attacker came together in the box, but those shouts were waved away by the referee.—
David Close,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
-
Not everyone could get to San Antonio, but their shouts may well have been heard in Texas.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
14 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
-
And then there were the screams.—
Latif Love
June 18,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
-
The screams, contortions and vocal shifts were made without CGI or artificial intelligence, and that detail is its own form of campaign currency in an era when audiences and voters alike are increasingly skeptical of digital enhancement.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
15 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
-
The little one’s first cries somehow complete the circle.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 June 2026
-
The soundtrack of sneaker squeaks, rallying cries, and bouncing basketballs found visual complement in the crayon box of jerseys coloring the city in various shades of hometown pride.—
Kat Chen,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
There were boos from the crowd for the first one in the game Tuesday between Iraq and Norway in Foxborough, Massachusetts.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
-
But in the match’s two mandatory hydration breaks, loud boos rained down from the stands.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoots. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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