tut

American  

[tuht] / tʌt /

interjection

1. (used as an exclamation of contempt, disdain, impatience, etc.)

2. for shame!

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noun

1. an exclamation of “tut.”

verb (used without object)

tutted, tutting

1. to utter the exclamation “tut.”

tut British  

/ tʌt /

interjection

1. short for tut-tut

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Etymology

Origin of tut

First recorded in 1520–30

Explanation

To tut is to express your feelings of irritation or displeasure. You might tut quietly at your friend's badly behaved dog. Since the 1520s, tut and tut-tut have been used as interjections to express contempt or impatience; and to make such a disapproving sound is to tut. Your substitute teacher might say, "Tut, class, I'm not happy with all the noise you're making," and your piano teacher might tut a bit when you confess that you didn't practice at all this week.

Example Sentences

"We see people tut when they hold hands or kiss in public," she said.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025

Those concerned that the stock market is vulnerable to a sharp pullback may tap their screens and tut at the chart from Torsten Slok, Apollo’s chief economist.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 15, 2025

"Ya tut," he said, meaning: "I am here."

From Reuters • Feb. 15, 2023

Serious talking shows go through the motions with a smile and a tut tut tut approach.

From New York Times • Mar. 17, 2018

“Tut, tut, tut! That was the boy’s affair. How is the poor woman?”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott