hoot 1 of 2

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
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

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
The End of Oak Street is a hoot and a half, but its resolutions yield far more questions than actual answers. — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026 Baez is Paloma Blanca, and to see her in this role is a hoot. — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
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 House the La Vista Baby hooted at Don’t Ate the Player, Ate The Game and Waulesi Asadye. — Literary Hub, 27 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hoot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoot
Noun
  • The stadium went silent, save for the shouts from the visiting team’s dugout.
    — Nicolas Villamil, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
  • His final words drowned in a din of shouts and sparkling spray, as the Astros feted an aspiration fulfilled.
    — Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 27 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The class had been quiet after the camp text, but now there was at least one snort.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 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
Noun
  • Trump is not a successful deal maker, because no deal Trump makes is worth a damn.
    — Chris Brennan, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Noun
  • Back at the Shareholders’ meeting, Rebecca and Higgins fake scream at each other and reveal that the Milk sisters didn’t actually sell their shares to Zelda after all.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Passengers later described screams and confusion as people realized something was seriously wrong.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Families climbed to their rooftops and hollered for rescuers.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Perhaps even more notable was his volume at prospect camp practice on Friday, hooting and hollering and firing up his teammates.
    — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • How odd that your in-laws can call your bed old and ugly, but balk at insulting their neighbor’s castoffs by not using them.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2026
  • For the last two years, Francesca Ortega insulted Latinos on social media with rhetoric that sounded straight from Stephen Miller.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • With every whimper, sigh, howl, bark and head tilt, these dogs create an empathetic portrayal of a highly intelligent creature that has been through battle and has the scars (and nightmares) to prove it.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The howls of outrage from an undisclosed location in Europe reached our shores.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Monica Bellucci’s sneer is a thing of wonder, so why have so few directors used it properly?
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The film’s sincerity — the quality critics praised most — was met with a sneer rather than a response.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hoot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoot. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!