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.

See Examples For:

hooey

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025

It shouldn’t have to be said, but this is a bunch of hooey.

From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2025

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

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2022

His world is utter hooey, but he finds satisfaction in small pleasures, like a properly dusted mantelpiece.

From New York Times ● Jul. 27, 2021

The people of the United States know, as I know, that that is just plain hooey.

From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson

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