honk
[ hongk, hawngk ]
/ hɒŋk, hɔŋk /
noun
the cry of a goose.
any similar sound, as of an automobile horn.
verb (used without object)
to emit a honk.
to cause an automobile horn to sound: He drove up in front of the house and honked.
verb (used with object)
to cause (an automobile horn) to sound: The driver honked his horn impatiently.
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Nearby words
hongwu, honi soit qui mal y pense, honiara, honied, honiton, honk, honker, honkey, honky, honky-tonk, honolulu
Origin of honk
An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800; imitative
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for honk
British Dictionary definitions for honk
honk
/ (hɒŋk) /
noun
a representation of the sound made by a goose
any sound resembling this, esp a motor horn
British and Australian slang a bad smell
verb
to make or cause (something) to make such a sound
(intr) British a slang word for vomit
British and Australian slang to have a bad smell
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
Word Origin and History for honk
honk
cry of a goose, 1814, American English, imitative. As a verb by 1854, of geese; the sense of "sound a horn," especially on an automobile, first recorded 1895 in American English. Related: Honked; honking.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper