Meanings
whoop1
plural whoops · alternative hoop · alternative howp
- A loud, eager cry, usually of joy.
Mixed with the whoop of the crane and the roar of the grim alligator.
1847 November 1, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline, a Tale of Acadie, Boston, Mass.: William D. Ticknor & Company, →OCLC, (please specify either |part=I or II)2 more examples
[A] great whoop of victory sounded as finally they carried the fish up the beach.
1983, The Fisherman Who Laughed, page 30Lavender Hearts has often been stopped by the presence of some wild woman who just can't contain her whoop or moan. Now that's community!
1991 February 11, Jennifer Justice, “Farewell Lavender Hearts”, in Gay Community News, volume 18, number 29, page 9 - A gasp, characteristic of whooping cough.
- A bump on a racetrack.
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2 more examples
The key to jamming through the whoops is to keep your weight to the back of the quad […] and keep the front wheels high […]
2006, Steve Casper, ATVs: Everything You Need to Know, page 104The “98 MPH” sign used to be on a set of particularly vicious whoops at one of John's favorite racetracks.
2009, Lee Klancher, Kevin Cameron, Motorcycle Dream Garages, page 184
present singular third person whoops · participle present whooping · participle past whooped · past whooped · alternative hoop · alternative howp
- intransitiveTo make a whoop.
each whooping with a merry shout
1815, William Wordsworth, Beggars1 more example
When naught was heard but now and then the howl / Of some vile cur, or whooping of the owl.
1613, William Browne, Britannia's Pastorals - transitiveTo shout, to yell.
I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!” at the top of my lungs. […] The Colonel woke up, and, after asking what in brimstone was the matter, opened his mouth and roared “Hi!” and “Hello!” like the bull of Bashan.
1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC - To cough or breathe with a sonorous inspiration, as in whooping cough.
- obsoletetransitiveTo insult with shouts; to chase with derision.
And suffered me by the voice of slaves to be / Whooped out of Rome.
c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v]
whoop2
present singular third person whoops · participle present whooping · participle past whooped · past whooped · alternative whup
- informaltransitiveTo beat, to strike.
- informaltransitiveTo defeat thoroughly.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
whoop · noun, verb
- Proto-Germanic*wōpaz“shout, cry, wail”
- Proto-West Germanic*wōp
- Old Englishwōp“cry, outcry, shrieking, weeping, lamentation”
- Middle Englishwop“weeping, lamentation”
- Proto-Germanic*hwōpaną“to boast, threaten”
- Proto-West Germanic*hwōpan
- Old Frenchhouper
- Middle Englishwhopen
- Englishwhoop
From Middle English whopen, whowpen, howpen, houpen (“to whoop, cry out”), partially from Old French houper, hopper, houpper (“to shout”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwōpan, from Proto-Germanic *hwōpaną (“to boast, threaten”) (compare Gothic 𐍈𐍉𐍀𐌰𐌽 (ƕōpan, “to boast”), Old English hwōpan (“to threaten”)); and partially from Middle English wop (“weeping, lamentation”), from Old English wōp (“cry, outcry, shrieking, weeping, lamentation”), from Proto-West Germanic *wōp, from Proto-Germanic *wōpaz (“shout, cry, wail”) (compare Old Norse ópa (“to cry, scream, shout”), Gothic 𐍅𐍉𐍀𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wōpjan, “to cry out”)).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →whoop · verb
From a traditional African American and Southern US pronunciation of whip.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian възглас, вик
- възглас (văzglas)An exclamation, a cry, usually of joy
- вик (vik)An exclamation, a cry, usually of joy
- магарешка кашлица (magareška kašlica)A gasp, characteristic of whooping cough
- възкликвам (văzklikvam)to make a whoop
- разбивам (razbivam)to defeat thoroughly
Czech zavýsknutí, výkřik
- zavýsknutíAn exclamation, a cry, usually of joy
- výkřikAn exclamation, a cry, usually of joy
- výskatto make a whoop
- křičetto make a whoop
Finnish kiljahdus, hakata
- kiljahdusAn exclamation, a cry, usually of joy
- hakatato beat, to strike
- hakatato defeat thoroughly
- piestäto defeat thoroughly
French hurlement, hurler
- hurlementAn exclamation, a cry, usually of joy
- hurlerto make a whoop
Irish cuach
- cuachAn exclamation, a cry, usually of joy
Italian grido, urlo
- gridoAn exclamation, a cry, usually of joy
- urloAn exclamation, a cry, usually of joy
- urlo della pertosseA gasp, characteristic of whooping cough
- picchiareto beat, to strike
- colpireto beat, to strike
- annientareto defeat thoroughly
Romanian urlet
- urletAn exclamation, a cry, usually of joy
Russian во́зглас, вы́крик
- во́зглас (vózglas)An exclamation, a cry, usually of joy
- вы́крик (výkrik)An exclamation, a cry, usually of joy
- ка́шель (kášelʹ)A gasp, characteristic of whooping cough
- ги́кать (gíkatʹ)to insult with shouts; to chase with derision
- улюлю́кать (uljuljúkatʹ)to insult with shouts; to chase with derision
- колоти́ть (kolotítʹ)to beat, to strike
- поколоти́ть (pokolotítʹ)to beat, to strike
- разгроми́ть (razgromítʹ)to defeat thoroughly
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with whoop
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
whoop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whoop
“whoop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whoop. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “whoop,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whoop.
Source: whoop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.