honk
Americannoun
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the cry of a goose.
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any similar sound, as of an automobile horn.
verb (used without object)
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to emit a honk.
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to cause an automobile horn to sound.
He drove up in front of the house and honked.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a representation of the sound made by a goose
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any sound resembling this, esp a motor horn
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slang a bad smell
verb
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to make or cause (something) to make such a sound
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(intr) a slang word for vomit
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slang to have a bad smell
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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honksimple
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honkssimple
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have honkedperfect
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has honkedperfect
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am honkingprogressive
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are honkingprogressive
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is honkingprogressive
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have been honkingperfect progressive
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has been honkingperfect progressive
Past
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honkedsimple
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had honkedperfect
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was honkingprogressive
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were honkingprogressive
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had been honkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of honk
An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800; imitative
Explanation
Honk! Out of the way! A honk is a noise made by a goose or a car horn. A goose's honk can be a greeting or warning, which is also true of a car horn's honk. To make the sound of a honk is to honk, whether you're a goose or a taxi driver waiting for the light to turn green. The "cry of a goose" meaning is the oldest, and the word honk, especially if you say it loudly, sounds just like what it means. HONK! The most common honk these days comes from cars stuck in traffic or saying hello. Honk if you like definitions!
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:
And at the end of the night, here comes Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor to honk twice, open the passenger door, and swoop you off to get some burgers and fries.
From Salon ● May 5, 2026
A constant stream of minibuses and cars honk their horns on a potholed road that is surrounded by dilapidated buildings.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
They chanted, drummed and urged passersby to honk before blocking the street entirely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
Every time a semitruck passed by heading to or from the port, the driver would honk its horn in a quick gesture of acknowledgment and, one imagines, solidarity with the men and women inside.
From Slate ● Sep. 19, 2025
A semi-truck roared by, sounding a long honk as it did.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
Owners of several vehicles plying the streets rejoiced with symbolic honks and screams, most of them either waving the flag or hanging samples by their car windows.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
A fairground train carrying children made its way through the crowd, its Christmas soundtrack drowned out by the supportive honks of cars.
From Barron's ● Dec. 23, 2025
Dolly gets a lot of honks and smiles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025
Those honks and buzzes outside of Rosenkrantz’s apartment also needed to match the time of day depicted in the film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025
A car honks as it passes us, and I see Max jump and pick up her pace.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
Emergency service workers shouted "Let's go Knicks" through loudspeakers, while strangers hugged and shook hands, and drivers honked their horns.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Sirens blared, horns honked, and church bells pealed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Many drivers honked or waved to show support for the rally.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
Outside, cars honked, flags waved, people shouted “Zohran!” as they drove away.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2025
Big Loomis, who naturally took his communion cake in the kitchen, was just coming around the house from the back door as Papa honked the brass horn and we all waved.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Cars honking their horns snaked through the capital of the small South American country that does not usually get a lot of attention for anything.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Two weeks after Good’s murder, he drove around his neighborhood honking his horn to alert his community to ICE’s presence.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
Memo Guerra’s honking jazz score adds an another playful layer of life — it’s the noise of a bizarro nightclub where the air shivers with eerie musical saws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
In Westwood, people gathered in the streets, honking, waving the old flag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
They could hear it honking every little while as it went down the hill.
From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
