whooper

American  

[hoo-per, hwoo-, woo-] / ˈhu pər, ˈʰwu-, ˈwu- /

noun

1. a person or thing that whoops.

2. whooper swan.

3. Informal. whooping crane.

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whooper British  

/ ˈwuːpə /

noun

1. a large white Old World swan, Cygnus cygnus, having a black bill with a yellow base and a noisy whooping cry

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Etymology

Origin of whooper

First recorded in 1650–60; whoop + -er ¹

Example Sentences

The researchers - led by the universities of Exeter and Helsinki - analysed 30 years of data on more than 10,000 whooper swans across the country.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2023

In the harvested corn fields, big flocks of muddy whooper swans were eating leftovers, but apart from them, not a bird sang.

From New York Times • Sep. 11, 2022

The 1,400-acre reserve was established by Sir Peter Scott to provide a winter home for barnacle geese, but also attracts many other types of wildlife, including badgers, whooper swans and natterjack toads.

From The Guardian • Jul. 30, 2014

Since then, like an individual whooper taking flight, it's been a long, slow upward climb.

From Washington Post • Mar. 30, 2010

Also, a name given to a well-known turtle, Chelonia caouana, from its having a great head; it is sometimes called the whooper or whapper.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir