whoop
Americannoun
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whoops
plural
-
a loud cry or shout, as of excitement or joy.
-
the sound made by a person suffering from whooping cough.
verb (used without object)
-
whoops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
whooped,
past participle, past
-
whooping
present participle
-
to utter a loud cry or shout in expressing enthusiasm, excitement, etc.
-
to cry as an owl, crane, or certain other birds.
-
to make the characteristic sound accompanying the deep intake of air following a series of coughs in whooping cough.
verb (used with object)
-
whoops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
whooped,
past participle, past
-
whooping
present participle
-
to utter with or as if with a whoop.
-
to whoop to or at.
-
to call, urge, pursue, or drive with whoops.
to whoop dogs on.
interjection
verb phrase
idioms
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whoop it up,
-
to raise a disturbance, as to celebrate noisily.
They whooped it up after winning the big game.
-
to stir up enthusiasm, as for an idea or project.
Every spring they whoop it up for the circus.
-
-
not worth a whoop, to be worthless.
Their promises aren't worth a whoop.
verb
-
to utter (speech) with loud cries, as of enthusiasm or excitement
-
med to cough convulsively with a crowing sound made at each inspiration
-
(of certain birds) to utter (a hooting cry)
-
(tr) to urge on or call with or as if with whoops
-
informal
-
to indulge in a noisy celebration
-
to arouse enthusiasm
-
noun
-
a loud cry, esp one expressing enthusiasm or excitement
-
med the convulsive crowing sound made during a paroxysm of whooping cough
-
informal worthless
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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whoopsimple
-
whoopssimple
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have whoopedperfect
-
has whoopedperfect
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am whoopingprogressive
-
are whoopingprogressive
-
is whoopingprogressive
-
have been whoopingperfect progressive
-
has been whoopingperfect progressive
Past
-
whoopedsimple
-
had whoopedperfect
-
was whoopingprogressive
-
were whoopingprogressive
-
had been whoopingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of whoop
1350–1400; Middle English whopen, Old English hwōpan to threaten; cognate with Gothic hwopan to boast
Explanation
A whoop is a noise you make when you're celebrating something exciting. Just listen to the whoops and cheers from the crowd when your school's basketball team unexpectedly wins the championship! The joyful hooting of friends hearing your good news, the cheers of fans celebrating a bowler's strike, or the call of a cowboy urging a horse forward — these are all whoops. You can use this word as a verb too, as when you whoop with joy or laughter, or in the colloquial phrase whoop it up, meaning "have a blast." Whoop sometimes also used for the distinctive cough of someone suffering from pertussis, also known as whooping cough.
Vocabulary lists containing whoop
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.
See Examples For:
Several years ago, on a cross-Atlantic literary festival where Shriver was an invited author, I observed a packed audience whoop and cheer Shriver’s mordant observations about everything wrong with the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026
On 13 April, fans are being encouraged to "dress up, whoop, yelp and clap their way through this block-busting adventure".
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2025
When told he was the first to fire up, Ochoa let out an enthusiastic whoop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2024
As the male lead entered the stage in a new production of “Romeo and Juliet” in London, a single, very loud whoop erupted from the orchestra level.
From New York Times ● May 24, 2024
Each time he cantered around the little training track, a happy whoop went up from his rooting section.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
The crowd erupted in whoops and applause after each person finished their three minutes of public comments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
As lightning continued to flash on the horizon, the public address system came alive to say "Test 1, 2, 3," leading to whoops among the crowd, hoping it was a sign of an imminent reopening.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
There were shrieks of relief and whoops of disbelief, tears and fireworks and renditions of “Empire State of Mind” and “New York, New York.”
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
After each one emerged from the water, there were whoops and songs of joy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
Christina whoops as we bump over another piece of debris, like she’s having the time of her life.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
When Verdugo appointed himself mayor, the audience whooped and clapped.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
But a final run on which he did two flying laps enabled him to pip Antonelli by 0.068 seconds and Russell whooped with delight on the radio after realising he had secured pole.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
Audience members clapped and sang along to “Thriller” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” and whooped every time Michael — played with admittedly impressive accuracy by Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar — hit a spin or kick.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
As they whooped and hollered and paraded the trophy around the Stade de France, you got an overwhelming sense that this Belle Epoque in rugby boots is only just getting started.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2025
Jello’s windy voice barked out and, like the beat of drums, the five pups whooped and yipped.
From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
The Welsh gymnastics fraternity were still in the building and you could hear their whooping and cheering as Ruby showed off her medal.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
In the mornings, Christine eagerly awaits the brightly colored, highly vocal birds swooping into their garden, whooping their greetings before flying off into the junglelike foliage.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
It’s not too late to save the whooping crane, the red-cockaded woodpecker, the piping plover or any of the other 86 birds on the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
In 1962, President Kennedy signed the Vaccination Assistance Act, which ensured that all children under five, regardless of income, could receive vaccines against polio, diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus.
From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2026
We got a loud round of applause and whooping from the crowd and, as we’d practiced, we held hands and took a group bow.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
