cock-a-hoop

[ kok-uh-hoop, -hoop, kok-uh-hoop, -hoop ]

/ ˌkɒk əˈhup, -ˈhʊp, ˈkɒk əˌhup, -ˌhʊp /

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adjective

in a state of unrestrained joy or exultation; boastfully elated: He was cock-a-hoop over his victory.

askew; out of kilter: He knocked his hat cock-a-hoop.

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Origin of cock-a-hoop

First recorded in 1520–30; origin uncertain

Words nearby cock-a-hoop

cocinero, cock, cockabully, cockade, cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-hoop, Cockaigne, cock-a-leekie, cockalorum, cockamamie, cock-and-bull story

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use cock-a-hoop in a sentence

ROME — What does it take for a Hollywood A-lister to get a private audience with Pope Francis?
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
By the time it concluded with a sing-a-long of “XO,” Beyoncé had done the rare thing.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year|Kevin Fallon|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In another year, stories about the strange new face of an A-list actress might draw chortles and cackles.
Renée Zellweger Got a New Face—and Everyone Had An Opinion About It|Kevin O’Keeffe|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Because Duck Dynasty receives monster TV ratings and Robertson paid by a company (A&E) while making these public statements.
Butts, Brawls, and Bill Cosby: The Biggest Celebrity Scandals of 2014 |Kevin Fallon|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The well-known "cock and bull" stories of small children are inspired by this love of strong effect.
Children's Ways|James Sully
Now-a-days it is the bankrupt who flouts, and his too confiding creditors who are jeered and laughed at.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
He felt himself the meanest, vilest thing a-crawl upon this sinful earth, and she—dear God!
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
All that scientific bric-a-brac in the cupboard had far better be thrown away.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Urinary sediments may be studied under three heads: A. Unorganized sediments.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for cock-a-hoop

cock-a-hoop

adjective (usually postpositive)

in very high spirits

boastful

askew; confused

Word Origin for cock-a-hoop

C16: perhaps from the phrase to set the cock a hoop to live prodigally, literally: to put a cock on a hoop, a full measure of grain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012