1
as in shouts
a loud vocal expression of strong emotion
the courtroom erupted in hoots of laughter upon hearing the witness's sarcastic retort to the lawyer's arrogant remark
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in snorts
a vocal sound made to express scorn or disapproval
he ignored the hoots and jeers coming from the back of the crowd and kept on speaking until he'd had his say
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in damns
the smallest amount or part imaginable
I don't give a hoot whether you want to go or not—you're going
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in screams
someone or something that is very funny
that stand-up comic is a hoot
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hoots
Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 28 Dec. 2025
There are hoots and hollers from raucous tourists on Bourbon Street, for example.
—Matt Alderton, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
There are a few hoots and hollers as the others agree or protest.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2025
All the segments understand the assignment, aiming primarily to elicit hoots and hollers.
—James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
The town hall crowd received my comments with strong clapping and appreciative hoots and hollers.
—Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
Cowboy and cowgirl hoots and hollers complement the rumbling of the massive animals’ hooves as they’re rounded up into the corrals.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 28 Dec. 2025
There are hoots and hollers from raucous tourists on Bourbon Street, for example.
—Matt Alderton, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
There are a few hoots and hollers as the others agree or protest.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2025
All the segments understand the assignment, aiming primarily to elicit hoots and hollers.
—James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
The town hall crowd received my comments with strong clapping and appreciative hoots and hollers.
—Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoots
Noun
-
Then, out of the blue, four or five musket shots rang out, followed by shouts and, in an instant, the sound of more than thirty further muskets being fired.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The vote was met by applause and 'thank you' shouts from neighbors in opposition to the project in the audience.—
Ashley Sharp,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Rodents of Unusual Size that attack Westley in a swamp work because they are played by small men in rodent suits, rather than coolly conjured from pixels; their deliberate artifice is the thrill, and Reiner provided the voice for their hideous snorts.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
17 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Passengers aboard a taxiing aircraft were reportedly left horrified last month when chilling screams suddenly echoed from beneath the cabin just moments before takeoff.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The car chase, the chokehold, his own screams at the officers to leave his dad alone.—
Nicole Foy,
ProPublica,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The wind howls, and the sound of the runners grinding over the ice is surprisingly loud.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Hip holidaying friends, those who don’t want to share their trip with babies’ howls, and golfers looking for an element of cool (guests have access to all the facilities at the other Costa Navarino hotels such as golf courses and the Mouratoglou tennis academy).—
Jemima Sissons,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
No wonder then, when substitute Mia Enderby met Jenna Clark’s cross perfectly in the 92nd minute, putting Liverpool 1-0 up, the cries of celebration spilled out before the ball had officially crossed the goal line.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
When the time comes, listen to the whistles, the car horns, the cries in the air.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Miami got some good licks on Mendoza, bloodying his lip early on a shot from Jakobe Thomas that probably could have drawn a flag for targeting.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Magazine staffers gathered in the editor’s office and listened in awe to pedal steel licks and tight, pretty harmonies — from the Dead!—
Ben Fong-Torres,
Rolling Stone,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There were a couple of unexpected wipeouts, including one by David Pastrnak, that elicited laughs from teammates.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The movie’s biggest laughs come from Kevin’s hijinks, which involve setting up complex booby traps to fend off a pair of burglars targeting his family’s home.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
With the entire team waiting on a nearby bus, a member of the team’s security staff hollers for Antetokounmpo to rejoin his team en route to the hotel.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Cowboy and cowgirl hoots and hollers complement the rumbling of the massive animals’ hooves as they’re rounded up into the corrals.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hoots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoots. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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