definitions

cock-a-hoop

[ kok-uh-hoop, -hoo p, kok-uh-hoop, -hoo p ]
/ ˌkɒk əˈhup, -ˈhʊp, ˈkɒk əˌhup, -ˌhʊp /
|

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.

RELATED CONTENT

grey-aAs with many things in life, sexuality isn't black and white.
READ MORE
What’s A Bastille?On Bastille Day, the world parties in the name of France. Do you know what makes Bastille Day so important— for France and the history of all democracies?
READ MORE

Nearby words

cock of the walk, cock of the woods, cock rock, cock's-foot, cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-hoop, cock-a-leekie, cock-and-bull story, cock-of-the-rock, cockabully, cockade

Origin of cock-a-hoop

First recorded in 1520–30; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cock-a-hoop

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