hoot
1 Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
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the cry of an owl.
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any similar sound, as an inarticulate shout.
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a cry or shout, especially of disapproval or derision.
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British. a horn, siren, or whistle, especially a factory whistle.
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Informal. the least bit of concern, interest, or thought; trifle.
His religion doesn't matter a hoot to me.
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Slang. an extremely funny person, situation, or event.
Your cousin is such a hoot!
idioms
interjection
noun
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the mournful wavering cry of some owls
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a similar sound, such as that of a train whistle
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a jeer of derision
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informal an amusing person or thing
the weekend was a hoot
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not to care at all
verb
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(often foll by at) to jeer or yell (something) contemptuously (at someone)
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(tr) to drive (political speakers, actors on stage, etc) off or away by hooting
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(intr) to make a hoot
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(intr) to blow a horn
interjection
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hootsimple
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hootssimple
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have hootedperfect
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has hootedperfect
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am hootingprogressive
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are hootingprogressive
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is hootingprogressive
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have been hootingperfect progressive
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has been hootingperfect progressive
Past
-
hootedsimple
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had hootedperfect
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was hootingprogressive
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were hootingprogressive
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had been hootingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hoot1
First recorded in 1200–1250; Middle English verb houten, whoten; imitative of the sound
Origin of hoot2
First recorded in 1600–10; hoot 1 ( def. ) (in the sense “shout of disapproval or derision”)
Explanation
A hoot is the musical call an owl makes. The hoot of an owl sounds very much like the word hoot. An owl's hoot is the inspiration for a similar sound that people make to show disapproval or scorn: "The sound of the crowd's hoots filled the stadium when the soccer player kicked the ball into his own team's goal." To make this sound, whether you're a person or an owl, is to hoot, and if you don't give a hoot, it means you really don't care at all.
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.
His singing of Oscar Straus and Leo Robin’s “Oh, That Mitzi” is a hoot.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026
Crowds hoot and cheer as the contraptions float into the darkening sky, while referees judge the magnificence of their aerial explosions.
From Barron's • Nov. 1, 2025
Other than that, I’m hearing that Timothée Chalamet in ‘Marty Supreme’ is a lock, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance in ‘One Battle After Another’ is a harrowing hoot.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 23, 2025
When I shared this story with a friend, she gave a small, sympathetic hoot and said, “Do you want to hear how many times I’ve misplaced my phone this week?”
From Salon • Sep. 22, 2025
When owls hoot, it doesn’t sound like humans laughing so I don’t know why people say ‘hoot’ but they do.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
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.
