shout-out

or shout·out

[ shout-out ]
/ ˈʃaʊtˌaʊt /

noun

Informal. a quick public expression of thanks, admiration, etc.: I’d like to give a big shout-out to my mom who’s in the audience tonight.

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Origin of shout-out

First recorded in 1990–95; shout + out

Words nearby shout-out

shout, shout down, shout from the rooftops, shouting distance, shouting match, shout-out, shouty, shove, shove-halfpenny, shove-ha'penny, shovel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

VOCAB BUILDER

What does shout-out mean?

A shout-out is a short public acknowledgement of someone or something, especially by name. It’s usually to recognize someone in appreciation of them or something they did.

Shout-outs are typically given in a public setting, such as on the radio, during a live performance, or on social media.

Shout-out is informal. It’s commonly used to start a sentence that announces a shout-out, as in Shout-out to the people in the back!  

Less commonly, shout-out is also used as a verb, as in Let me shout-out a few people real quick. 

It’s very commonly spelled as shoutout.

Example: Thanks to your shout-out in the last post, I gained a ton of followers.

Where does shout-out come from?

The first known records of the term shout-out come from the 1990s. It’s simply a combination of shout and out—a shout-out often consists of shouting out someone’s name. The word is associated with hip-hop culture, perhaps due to the practice of DJs giving shout-outs in the club or rappers giving shout-outs in their lyrics. However, the word has achieved mainstream popularity.

When you give a shout-out to someone, it’s usually to express appreciation or thanks—or just to recognize their presence. Shout-out often refers to a namecheck, meaning it specifically names a person, as in I’d like to give a quick shout-out to Debbie, whose birthday is today! On social media, a shout-out is often an endorsement of the person and a call to support them by following them, liking their post, or something like that. But a shout-out doesn’t have to be a recognition of a named person. It can recognize an unknown person, a group of people, or even a thing. (Real quick shout-out to my homie T-saurus!)

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What are some other forms related to shout-out?

  • shoutout (alternate spelling)

What are some synonyms for shout-out?

What are some words that share a root or word element with shout-out? 

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing shout-out?

 

 

How is shout-out used in real life?

Shout-outs are almost always given in front of a public audience, whether in person or online. Shout-outs are usually positive, but not always—the word can be used in an ironic way to call something out in a critical way.

 

 

Try using shout-out!

Is shout-out used correctly in the following sentence?

Shout-out to all the doctors and nurses who keep us healthy.

Example sentences from the Web for shout-out