hoot
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
hootIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhut
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt
A derisive cry or shout.
A loud raucous cry (as of an owl)
A small particle; a whit or jot.
new zealandslang
Money, especially in the form of cash given as payment.
verb
To cry out or shout in contempt.
To assail with contemptuous cries or shouts; to follow with derisive shouts.
To make a hoo, the cry of an owl.
To sound the horn of a vehicle.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt
Used this way, hoot is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use hoot
- “The toughs and blades of the city hoot and bang their drums, drink arak, play dice, and dance.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Any owl that hoots as distinct from screeching.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to cry out or shout in contempt
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.