hoot Synonyms & Antonyms
Choose a meaning, then find a word that fits your sentence.
Hoot as a Noun
A derisive cry or shout.
My performance drew hoots of derision from the crowd.
The cry of an owl.
I heard the hoot of an owl. Whoo, whoo!
A fun event or person.
The party at the weekend was such a hoot! Thanks for the invite.
A small particle; a whit or jot.
We don't care a hoot about what you think.
Money, especially in the form of cash given as payment.
A fun event or person. (See hootenanny)
A small particle.
Hoot as a Verb
To cry out or shout in contempt.
To make a hoo, the cry of an owl.
To assail with contemptuous cries or shouts; to follow with derisive shouts.
Mary felt extremely offended when the workers hooted at her.
To sound the horn of a vehicle.
When you arrive to pick me up, hoot, and I'll come outside.
To make the cry of an owl, a hoo.
Hoot in a Sentence
My performance drew hoots of derision from the crowd.
I heard the hoot of an owl. Whoo, whoo!
The party at the weekend was such a hoot! Thanks for the invite.
We don't care a hoot about what you think.
Mary felt extremely offended when the workers hooted at her.
When you arrive to pick me up, hoot, and I'll come outside.
Word Forms & Grammar
hoot (plural hoots)
hoot (third-person singular simple present hoots, present participle hooting, simple past and past participle hooted)
hoot (uncountable)
Words That Rhyme With Hoot
Origin of Hoot
Origin 1: From Middle English houten, huten, hoten, assumed to be of North Germanic origin: Swedish hut! (“begone!”, interjection) (also dialectal Norwegian hut, Bornholm Danish hut, hot), Swedish huta (“to drive someone away (with calls)”), Old Swedish huta (“to cast out in contempt”), related to Swedish hojta (“to holler”), hojt (“a holler”), further related to Middle High German hiuzen, hūzen (“to call to pursuit”). Swedish hut is the common command to call off and silence barking (hunting) dogs on the pursuit. Compare Swedish veta hut (“know one's place, like a dog”, literally “to know 'hoot' (the command)”).
Origin 2: The Middle High German terms could suggest an earlier Proto-Germanic (hunting dog command?) *hūt- (“to command barking en pursuit?”). Maybe cognate to shout?
Origin 3: Ultimately onomatopoeic. Compare Old Norse hutututu (“brr”), Norwegian hutra, Swedish huttra, huttla, Danish hudre, Low German hudern, German huttern (“to shiver”).
Origin 4: Further compare English hoy, Dutch hui, Low German hoi, Norwegian hoi, Swedish hoj, Danish hoj, huj (“ho, hallo”).
Hoot in Brief
| Part of speech | noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /huːt/ |
| Meaning | A derisive cry or shout |
| Plural | hoots |
| Verb forms | hoots, hooting, hooted |
Hoot: Your Questions Answered
Is hoot a noun or a verb?
Hoot is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is the plural of hoot?
The plural of hoot is hoots.
What is the past tense of hoot?
The past tense of hoot is hooted. The present participle is hooting.