Meanings
hoot1
plural hoots
- The cry of an owl.
I heard the hoot of an owl. Whoo, whoo!
- A small particle; a whit or jot.
We don't care a hoot about what you think.
1 more example
Well, it was Sunday morning, and the wheat nothing like ripe; but it was a chance, and I got onto my reaper and banged down every hoot of it before Monday night.
1878, John Hanson Beadle, Western Wilds, and the Men who Redeem Them, Jones Brothers, →OCLC, page 611Synonyms: hooter, ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel, continental
present singular third person hoots · participle present hooting · participle past hooted · past hooted
- To cry out or shout in contempt.
Matrons and girls shall hoot at thee no more,
1711, John Dryden, “Satire IX”, in Dryden’s Juvenal1 more example
Fitzgerald’s supporters resented Dan’s familiarity with their idol, and began to hoot Dan.
1911, ‘Steel Rudd’, The Book of Dan, Brisbane: University of Queensland Press, published 1970, page 90 - To make a hoo, the cry of an owl.
The clamorous owl that nightly hoots and wonders / At our quaint spirits.
c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]2 more examples
Outside an owl was hooting most dismally in the darkness. The villa was on a by-road, and there was no human sound to link them up with life.
1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019“Er...Feathered Omen, hoot not,” he continued uneasily, “Son of Tanit, hoot not!”
1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 11 - To assail with contemptuous cries or shouts; to follow with derisive shouts.
Mary felt extremely offended when the workers hooted at her.
1 more example
And I will be content, that Partridge, and the rest of his Clan, may hoot me for a Cheat and Impostor, if I fail in any single Particular of Moment.
1708, Isaac Bickerstaff [Jonathan Swift], Predictions for the Year 1708 - To sound the horn of a vehicle.
When you arrive to pick me up, hoot, and I'll come outside.
hoot2
- New ZealandslanguncountableMoney, especially in the form of cash given as payment.
On the construction you could make a pot of hoot in no time. You oughter be able to get two or three quid a day when things is busy.
1938, Xavier Herbert, Capricornia, Sydney, N.S.W.: A&R Classics, published 2013, →ISBN, page 304Synonyms: ackers, bees and honey, blunt, bones, brass, bread, bread and honey, Bugs Bunny
Hoot3
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA small particle; a whit or jot.
nounMoney, especially in the form of cash given as payment.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt
nounsomething of little value
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
hoot · noun, verb
- Old Swedishhuta“to cast out in contempt”
- Middle Englishhouten
- Englishhoot
From Middle English houten, huten, hoten, assumed to be of North Germanic origin: Swedish hut! (“begone!”, interjection) (also dialectal Norwegian hut, Bornholm Danish hut, hot), Swedish huta (“to drive someone away (with calls)”), Old Swedish huta (“to cast out in contempt”), related to Swedish hojta (“to holler”), hojt (“a holler”), further related to Middle High German hiuzen, hūzen (“to call to pursuit”). Swedish hut is the common command to call off and silence barking (hunting) dogs on the pursuit. Compare Swedish veta hut (“know one's place, like a dog”, literally “to know 'hoot' (the command)”). The Middle High German terms could suggest an earlier Proto-Germanic (hunting dog command?) *hūt- (“to command barking en pursuit?”). Maybe cognate to shout? Ultimately onomatopoeic. Compare Old Norse hutututu (“brr”), Norwegian hutra, Swedish huttra, huttla, Danish hudre, Low German hudern, German huttern (“to shiver”). Further compare English hoy, Dutch hui, Low German hoi, Norwegian hoi, Swedish hoj, Danish hoj, huj (“ho, hallo”).
More words from Middle English, Old Swedish
Full word history & related roots →hoot · noun
- Māoriutu“payment, revenge, payback”
- Englishhoot
A variant of utu (influenced by etymology 1), borrowed from Māori utu (“payment, revenge, payback”).
More words from Māori
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κικκαβαῦ
- κικκαβαῦ (kikkabaû)cry of an owl
Bulgarian дюдюкане, ухане
- дюдюкане (djudjukane)derisive cry or shout
- ухане (uhane)cry of an owl
- дюдюкам (djudjukam)To cry out or shout in contempt
- ухам (uham)To make the cry of an owl
Catalan xut, esgaripar
- xutcry of an owl
- esgariparTo make the cry of an owl
Czech houkat
- houkatTo make the cry of an owl
Dutch oehoe, roep
- oehoecry of an owl
- roepcry of an owl
- gillerfun event, blast
- grapjasfun event, blast
- oehoeënTo make the cry of an owl
- uitjouwenTo assail with contemptuous cries or shouts
- uitjoelenTo assail with contemptuous cries or shouts
- toeterenTo sound the horn of a vehicle
- claxonnerenTo sound the horn of a vehicle
- trompenTo sound the horn of a vehicle
Esperanto ululo, ululi
- ululocry of an owl
- ululiTo make the cry of an owl
Finnish pilkkahuuto, buuaus
- pilkkahuutoderisive cry or shout
- buuausderisive cry or shout
- huhuilucry of an owl
- buuataTo cry out or shout in contempt
- huhuillaTo make the cry of an owl
French huées, hululement
- huéesderisive cry or shout
- hululementcry of an owl
- ululementcry of an owl
- huerTo cry out or shout in contempt
- hululerTo make the cry of an owl
- ululerTo make the cry of an owl
- bubulerTo make the cry of an owl
- bouboulerTo make the cry of an owl
- huerTo assail with contemptuous cries or shouts
- raillerTo assail with contemptuous cries or shouts
German Johlen, Gejohle
- Johlenderisive cry or shout
- Gejohlederisive cry or shout
- Schreicry of an owl
- Rufcry of an owl
- Geschreicry of an owl
- Heulencry of an owl
- Spaßveranstaltungfun event, blast
- Spaßmacherfun event, blast
- rufenTo make the cry of an owl
- johlenTo assail with contemptuous cries or shouts
- hupenTo sound the horn of a vehicle
Hungarian hu, huhog
- hucry of an owl
- huhogTo make the cry of an owl
Irish faíreach, bí ag faíreach
- faíreachderisive cry or shout
- bí ag faíreachTo cry out or shout in contempt
Italian ululo
- ululocry of an owl
Japanese 野次る
- 野次る (yajiru)To cry out or shout in contempt
Latin cano, cucubo
- canoTo cry out or shout in contempt
- cucuboTo make the cry of an owl
Māori koukou, whero
- koukoucry of an owl
- wherocry of an owl
- terekoucry of an owl
- koukouTo make the cry of an owl
- pehoTo make the cry of an owl
- pehopehoTo make the cry of an owl
Polish pohukiwanie, pohukiwać
- pohukiwaniecry of an owl
- pohukiwaćTo make the cry of an owl
- hukaćTo make the cry of an owl
Russian ги́канье, улюлю́канье
- ги́канье (gíkanʹje)derisive cry or shout
- улюлю́канье (uljuljúkanʹje)derisive cry or shout
- у́ханье (úxanʹje)derisive cry or shout
- у́ханье (úxanʹje)cry of an owl
- ги́кать (gíkatʹ)To cry out or shout in contempt
- улюлю́кать (uljuljúkatʹ)To cry out or shout in contempt
- у́хать (úxatʹ)To cry out or shout in contempt
- у́хать (úxatʹ)To make the cry of an owl
Spanish ululato, grito
- ululatoderisive cry or shout
- gritoderisive cry or shout
- chilloderisive cry or shout
- ululatocry of an owl
- gritocry of an owl
- chillocry of an owl
- perafun event, blast
- pollafun event, blast
- risiónfun event, blast
- bacilónfun event, blast
- bacilongofun event, blast
- vacilónfun event, blast
- ulularTo make the cry of an owl
Swedish ho, hoa
- hocry of an owl
- hoaTo make the cry of an owl
Tagalog wahu, wumahu
- wahucry of an owl
- wumahuTo make the cry of an owl
Ukrainian у́хання, у́хати
- у́хання (úxannja)cry of an owl
- у́хати (úxaty)To make the cry of an owl
- пугу́кати (puhúkaty)To make the cry of an owl
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with hoot
Anagrams
Cite this entry
hoot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hoot
“hoot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hoot. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hoot,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hoot.
Source: hoot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.