honk
Americannoun
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honks
plural
-
the cry of a goose.
-
any similar sound, as of an automobile horn.
verb (used without object)
-
honks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
honked,
past participle, past
-
honking
present participle
-
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)
-
honks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
honked,
past participle, past
-
honking
present participle
noun
-
a representation of the sound made by a goose
-
any sound resembling this, esp a motor horn
-
slang a bad smell
verb
-
to make or cause (something) to make such a sound
-
(intr) a slang word for vomit
-
slang to have a bad smell
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
honksimple
-
honkssimple
-
have honkedperfect
-
has honkedperfect
-
am honkingprogressive
-
are honkingprogressive
-
is honkingprogressive
-
have been honkingperfect progressive
-
has been honkingperfect progressive
Past
-
honkedsimple
-
had honkedperfect
-
was honkingprogressive
-
were honkingprogressive
-
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
“The kids used to roll by and they’d do the arm thing to get you to honk the horn,” Shearer said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
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
I hear Ms. D. honk, and I left to start work at my new job.
From "Girls Like Us" by Gail Giles
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
Humans have been long fascinated by bird song and the cacophony of other avian sounds -- from coos and honks to quacks and peeps.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2024
Moments later the two of them were in Mr. Curtain’s office, poring over a chart of Morse code, hastily scrawling a transcription of the distant honks.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
They honked the horn nine times to alert others nearby.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
A wave of brides and grooms made their way to MSG as bystanders stared and cheered, taxis honked and protesters gathered outside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
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
At a Torrance gathering, cars honked, protesters waved flags, and a person in an inflatable green cow costume hoisted a large American flag.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2026
The bus driver honked the horn and Clayton freed himself, then grabbed his book bag.
From "Clayton Byrd Goes Underground" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Loud trucks kept passing and honking their horns, leaving a smell of burning diesel fuel in their wake.
From Slate ● May 29, 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
He said groups of armed security forces who have "taken control of the streets" drive through Tehran at night "honking and carrying flags".
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
Moroccans took to the streets to celebrate and local media have shown videos of happy fans driving through Tangier waving the national flag, banging tambourines and honking their horns.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
The sea lions were on their rocks, coughing, barking, honking, all the usual sea lion conversation, but Nim interrupted, shouting and waving her arms.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
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.
