hoot 1 of 2

noun

Definition of hootnext
1
as in shout
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 snort
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 damn
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 scream
someone or something that is very funny that stand-up comic is a hoot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hoot

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to shout

Related Words
2
as in to insult

Related Words

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 hoot
Noun
Take The Kids To Tweetsie This nostalgic, Wild-West theme park is fun for younger kids and a hoot for adults, too. — Leigh Ann Henion, Southern Living, 9 May 2026 Driving this car is the closest most people will ever get to being a movie star, as evidenced when pulling up to a crosswalk with frequent hoots, hollers, and double takes from motorists and pedestrians. — Karl Brauer, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
None of these words mean anything to me, but there was more hooting and hollering for this announcement in the press section of Caesar's than for any other piece of news today, so that's gotta count for something. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Apr. 2026 The speakers do break down a bit at the absolute extremes of their bass and treble support, succumbing to slight crackling and hooting with extended heavy bass drops and marginally distorting the very brightest treble sounds. — John Archer, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hoot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoot
  1. shout
  2. snort
  3. damn
  4. scream
  5. holler
  6. insult
  7. howl
  8. sneer
Noun
  • Ghana had a genuine penalty shout waved away for an Ezri Konsa recovery tackle on Prince Kwabena Adu, the result of a counter-attack that stemmed from Eberechi Eze losing possession upfield.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 30 June 2026
  • As the judge read out the sentences, shouts of protest rang out from the defendants’ box.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 June 2026
Definition of shout
Noun
  • Soon come the snorts, the heavy body of a second hog tottering heavily from the hut.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Jan. 2026
  • 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
Definition of snort
Noun
  • And if that is to be the case, most Chicagoans do not give a damn whether the team goes to Arlington Heights or Hammond.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2026
  • In a world of drivers mostly ruled by their corporate sponsors, Busch was an otherworldly talent who simply did not give a damn.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 22 May 2026
Definition of damn
Noun
  • The delighted screams were coming from a man wearing a Mexico soccer jersey in the first row.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • Alicent fights back and is ultimately rescued by Grand Maester Orwyle, who hears her screams.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 June 2026
Definition of scream
Verb
  • Consider the field holler that became one of the taproots of American popular music.
    — Iqbal Akhtar, The Conversation, 30 June 2026
  • Fast forward to the semiquincentennial and Americans holler versions of that slogan through windows in real life, just on phones and computers.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of holler
Verb
  • The Los Angeles Dodgers insulted their Catholic paying customers by honoring a drag group that parades around as nuns and mocks their religion.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
  • But insult records and revenge songs go back to well before hip-hop.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Definition of insult
Noun
  • Many American poets have written hymns and howls, declarations and outcries for this country that brims with so many people, and so many hopes, from all over the world.
    — Scott Simon, NPR, 4 July 2026
  • The engine delivers a deep, purposeful hum rather than an all-out howl as the gears disappear in quick succession.
    — Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of howl
Noun
  • With his rakish sneer and ruthlessly tight jodhpurs, Rupert has been thoroughly neutered with irony, transformed into an object for women to pick at.
    — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
  • Of course, the prospect of one of the greatest women’s footballers in history skittering around Bromley on a Saturday lunchtime in front of a smattering of fans inevitably inspires sneers.
    — Megan Feringa, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Definition of sneer

Browse Nearby Words

hoosegows
hoot
hooted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hoot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoot. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on hoot

Nglish: Translation of hoot for Spanish Speakers

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All