whoop

[ woop, woop, hwoop, hwoop ]

/ wʊp, wup, ʰwup, ʰwʊp /

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See synonyms for: whoop / whooping / whoops on Thesaurus.com

noun

a loud cry or shout, as of excitement or joy.

the sound made by a person suffering from whooping cough.

verb (used without object)

to utter a loud cry or shout in expressing enthusiasm, excitement, etc.

to cry as an owl, crane, or certain other birds.

to make the characteristic sound accompanying the deep intake of air following a series of coughs in whooping cough.

verb (used with object)

to utter with or as if with a whoop.

to whoop to or at.

to call, urge, pursue, or drive with whoops: to whoop dogs on.

interjection

(used as a cry to attract attention from afar, or to show excitement, encouragement, enthusiasm, etc.)

Verb Phrases

whoop up, Informal. to promote or praise; extol: a class reunion where they whoop up the good old days.

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Idioms about whoop

not worth a whoop, Informal. to be worthless: Their promises aren't worth a whoop.

whoop it up, Informal.

to raise a disturbance, as to celebrate noisily: They whooped it up after winning the big game.
to stir up enthusiasm, as for an idea or project: Every spring they whoop it up for the circus.

Origin of whoop

1350–1400; Middle English whopen,Old English hwōpan to threaten; cognate with Gothic hwopan to boast

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use whoop in a sentence

The audience dutifully stood and whooped, but the atmosphere was not electric.
It’s Not Just the Vaccines. Jenny McCarthy’s New Book Offers More ‘Lessons’|Tim Teeman|April 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We laughed and whooped and clapped and danced and hugged each other.
Visiting the Arctic Circle…Before It’s Irreversibly Changed|Terry Greene Sterling|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No matter how often the subject came up, the audience (whose non-white faces could be counted on one hand) whooped appreciatively.
Tea Party Is 5! No More Tantrums?|Michelle Cottle|February 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The crowd cheered and whooped for Jerry Lee, who raised a hand and pulled his face in a taut grin.
The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis|Richard Ben Cramer|January 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

"I ain't goin' ter take none o' yer back-talk, nuther," whooped the man.
Motor Matt's Daring, or, True to His Friends|Stanley R. Matthews
Levi Pope fired into the upper branches of an elm tree and whooped as a warrior's body came crashing down.
Shaman|Robert Shea
The boy took it, yelled and whooped, and sped down the street to the sweetstuff shop.
The Imaginary Marriage|Henry St. John Cooper
In the completed bunk-house a huge, bearded, riverman leaped high, cracked his heels together and whooped.
The Boss of Wind River|David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
Billy also stood, lifted his chin and whooped like the wildest little savage that ever came out of the West.
A Girl Of The Limberlost|Gene Stratton Porter

British Dictionary definitions for whoop

whoop

/ (wuːp) /

verb

to utter (speech) with loud cries, as of enthusiasm or excitement

med to cough convulsively with a crowing sound made at each inspiration

(of certain birds) to utter (a hooting cry)

(tr) to urge on or call with or as if with whoops

whoop it up (wʊp, wuːp) informal

to indulge in a noisy celebration
US to arouse enthusiasm

noun

a loud cry, esp one expressing enthusiasm or excitement

med the convulsive crowing sound made during a paroxysm of whooping cough

not worth a whoop informal worthless

Word Origin for whoop

C14: of imitative origin

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

whoop

Idioms about whoop

Origin of whoop

Words related to whoop

How to use whoop in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for whoop

Word Origin for whoop