whoop
Americannoun
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whoops
plural
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a loud cry or shout, as of excitement or joy.
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the sound made by a person suffering from whooping cough.
verb (used without object)
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whoops,
present (3rd person singular)
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whooped,
past participle, past
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whooping
present participle
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to utter a loud cry or shout in expressing enthusiasm, excitement, etc.
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to cry as an owl, crane, or certain other birds.
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to make the characteristic sound accompanying the deep intake of air following a series of coughs in whooping cough.
verb (used with object)
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whoops,
present (3rd person singular)
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whooped,
past participle, past
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whooping
present participle
-
to utter with or as if with a whoop.
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to whoop to or at.
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to call, urge, pursue, or drive with whoops.
to whoop dogs on.
interjection
verb phrase
idioms
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whoop it up,
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to raise a disturbance, as to celebrate noisily.
They whooped it up after winning the big game.
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to stir up enthusiasm, as for an idea or project.
Every spring they whoop it up for the circus.
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not worth a whoop, to be worthless.
Their promises aren't worth a whoop.
verb
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to utter (speech) with loud cries, as of enthusiasm or excitement
-
med to cough convulsively with a crowing sound made at each inspiration
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(of certain birds) to utter (a hooting cry)
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(tr) to urge on or call with or as if with whoops
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informal
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to indulge in a noisy celebration
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to arouse enthusiasm
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noun
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a loud cry, esp one expressing enthusiasm or excitement
-
med the convulsive crowing sound made during a paroxysm of whooping cough
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informal worthless
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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whoopsimple
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whoopssimple
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have whoopedperfect
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has whoopedperfect
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am whoopingprogressive
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are whoopingprogressive
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is whoopingprogressive
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have been whoopingperfect progressive
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has been whoopingperfect progressive
Past
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whoopedsimple
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had whoopedperfect
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was whoopingprogressive
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were whoopingprogressive
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had been whoopingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of whoop
1350–1400; Middle English whopen, Old English hwōpan to threaten; cognate with Gothic hwopan to boast
Explanation
A whoop is a noise you make when you're celebrating something exciting. Just listen to the whoops and cheers from the crowd when your school's basketball team unexpectedly wins the championship! The joyful hooting of friends hearing your good news, the cheers of fans celebrating a bowler's strike, or the call of a cowboy urging a horse forward — these are all whoops. You can use this word as a verb too, as when you whoop with joy or laughter, or in the colloquial phrase whoop it up, meaning "have a blast." Whoop sometimes also used for the distinctive cough of someone suffering from pertussis, also known as whooping cough.
Vocabulary lists containing whoop
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:
Several years ago, on a cross-Atlantic literary festival where Shriver was an invited author, I observed a packed audience whoop and cheer Shriver’s mordant observations about everything wrong with the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026
The mentions are fairly humdrum in themselves - but worth noting because every time Goldie was mentioned, MPs would cheer, whoop and whistle, in that special way that is peculiar to MPs in the Commons.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2025
Whooping cough is named for the high-pitched whoop that can be heard as patients suck in air after coughing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2024
As the male lead entered the stage in a new production of “Romeo and Juliet” in London, a single, very loud whoop erupted from the orchestra level.
From New York Times ● May 24, 2024
I whoop in joy, sweep her up in my arms, and hug her.
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
To conservationist Ratha Sor, the whoops and whistles are the sound of hope -- a sign that the country's largest remaining stretch of intact rainforest is healthy enough to support the endangered species.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
There were shrieks of relief and whoops of disbelief, tears and fireworks and renditions of “Empire State of Mind” and “New York, New York.”
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
After each one emerged from the water, there were whoops and songs of joy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
"This show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this," Kimmel said to whoops from his studio audience.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
A carriage raced past us, a few noisy rebels shouting whoops and rough words.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
When Verdugo appointed himself mayor, the audience whooped and clapped.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Audience members clapped and sang along to “Thriller” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” and whooped every time Michael — played with admittedly impressive accuracy by Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar — hit a spin or kick.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
The workers whooped and applauded, and the president went back to rallying Americans who were in their first major war since the disaster of Vietnam.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
When she entered the room, they leaped to their feet, whooped, cheered and waved napkins in the air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2025
He snorted and said he thought a hunter always whooped to his dogs.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
Cases of whooping cough, polio, smallpox, rubella and diphtheria fell by 99-100% after vaccinations for each became standard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
In the mornings, Christine eagerly awaits the brightly colored, highly vocal birds swooping into their garden, whooping their greetings before flying off into the junglelike foliage.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
Something similar happened in response to a whooping cough outbreak that started in 2011.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
In the 1780s Thomas Jefferson was serving as a diplomat in France when the Marquis de Lafayette brought him a message of unwelcome news from Virginia: His young daughter Lucy had died of whooping cough.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
He runs into the room, fast, in case anyone might try and stop him, whooping and jumping with Helena.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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.
