Synonyms

hooey

American

[hoo-ee] / ˈhu i /

interjection

(used to express disapproval or disbelief ).

Hooey! You know that's not true.

noun

silly or worthless talk, writing, ideas, etc.; nonsense; bunk.

That's a lot of hooey and you know it!

hooey British

/ ˈhuːɪ /

noun

slang nonsense; rubbish

"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

Etymology

Origin of hooey

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; origin uncertain

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.

Stuart Reges, who taught computer science at the school since 2004, thought this was hooey.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

Skeptics will cast a jaundiced eye on what is about to take place, dismiss Rose’s lessons as hooey.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2025

But the people who drew it had a ball with the hooey.

From New York Times • May 24, 2023

This is, and it cannot be stressed enough, total hooey.

From Salon • Oct. 21, 2022

Its buffoonish hooey and end-of-the-pier music may have amused its creative team and some critics, but with the benefit of hindsight its timing seems tasteless and incomprehensible.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023