hoot
1 Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
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the cry of an owl.
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any similar sound, as an inarticulate shout.
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a cry or shout, especially of disapproval or derision.
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British. a horn, siren, or whistle, especially a factory whistle.
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Informal. the least bit of concern, interest, or thought; trifle.
His religion doesn't matter a hoot to me.
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Slang. an extremely funny person, situation, or event.
Your cousin is such a hoot!
idioms
interjection
noun
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the mournful wavering cry of some owls
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a similar sound, such as that of a train whistle
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a jeer of derision
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informal an amusing person or thing
the weekend was a hoot
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not to care at all
verb
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(often foll by at) to jeer or yell (something) contemptuously (at someone)
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(tr) to drive (political speakers, actors on stage, etc) off or away by hooting
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(intr) to make a hoot
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(intr) to blow a horn
interjection
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has hootedperfect 3rd person singular
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have hootedperfect
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has been hootingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am hootingprogressive 1st person singular
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is hootingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are hootingprogressive
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have been hootingperfect progressive
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hootssingular 3rd person
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hootingparticiple
Past
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had hootedperfect
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was hootingprogressive singular
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had been hootingperfect progressive
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were hootingprogressive plural
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hootedsimple
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hootedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of hoot1
First recorded in 1200–1250; Middle English verb houten, whoten; imitative of the sound
Origin of hoot2
First recorded in 1600–10; hoot 1 ( def. ) (in the sense “shout of disapproval or derision”)
Explanation
A hoot is the musical call an owl makes. The hoot of an owl sounds very much like the word hoot. An owl's hoot is the inspiration for a similar sound that people make to show disapproval or scorn: "The sound of the crowd's hoots filled the stadium when the soccer player kicked the ball into his own team's goal." To make this sound, whether you're a person or an owl, is to hoot, and if you don't give a hoot, it means you really don't care at all.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"But the kid inside of you wants to break out and just hoot and holler."
From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026
De Angelis and Waltz are also a hoot together, she as a heaving, hissing vampire bride who can’t stop licking her chops, he as a bone-dry vampire hunter dedicated to his investigation.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026
When I shared this story with a friend, she gave a small, sympathetic hoot and said, “Do you want to hear how many times I’ve misplaced my phone this week?”
From Salon • Sep. 22, 2025
But if you keep skating, at some point you’ll meet another woman who skates, and then another, and pretty soon you and your “high vibe tribe” won’t give a hoot what anyone thinks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 21, 2025
Bullfrogs and hoot owls were jarring the ground with their deep voices.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
