whoop
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Shout, as if with joy or enthusiasm.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
woopIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈwup
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.
verb
Shout, as if with joy or enthusiasm
“The children whooped when they were led to the picnic table.”
transitive
To shout, to yell.
intransitive
To make a whoop.
Cough spasmodically
transitiveinformal
To beat, to strike.
transitiveinformal
To defeat thoroughly.
noun
A loud hooting cry of exultation or excitement
A loud, eager cry, usually of joy.
A bump on a racetrack.
A gasp, characteristic of whooping cough.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Shout, as if with joy or enthusiasm
Used this way, whoop is a common word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It carries more force than its gentler alternatives. It turns up most in personal or emotional discussion and literature or storytelling contexts.
“The children whooped when they were led to the picnic table.”
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Strong
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Warm and admiring
- Usage feel
- Everyday but emotionally strong
Where it naturally appears
- Personal/emotional discussion
- Literature/storytelling
Usage note
Whoop is emotionally heavy: it suggests deep or lasting feeling, not a passing mood, so it can overstate a small reaction.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use whoop
- “The children whooped when they were led to the picnic table.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Celebrate noisily, often indulging in drinking.
Common Old World swan noted for its whooping call.
A disease of the respiratory mucous membrane.
Rare North American crane having black-and-white plumage and a trumpeting call.
A yell intended to rally a group of soldiers in battle.
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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.