Hoot definitions

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HOOT, v.i.
1. To cry out or shout in contempt.
Matrons and girls shall hoot at thee no more.
2. To cry, as an owl.
The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots.
HOOT, v.t. To drive with cries or shouts uttered in contempt.
Partridge and his clan may hoot me for a cheat.
HOOT, n. A cry or shout in contempt.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a loud raucous cry (as of an owl)
2: a cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt [syn: boo, hoot, Bronx cheer, hiss, raspberry, razzing, razz, snort, bird]
3: something of little value; "his promise is not worth a damn"; "not worth one red cent"; "not worth shucks" [syn: damn, darn, hoot, red cent, shit, shucks, tinker's damn, tinker's dam] v
1: to utter a loud clamorous shout; "the toughs and blades of the city hoot and bang their drums, drink arak, play dice, and dance"
2: utter the characteristic sound of owls

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English houten, of imitative origin Date: 13th century intransitive verb 1. to shout or laugh usually derisively 2. to make the natural throat noise of an owl or a similar cry 3. to make a loud clamorous mechanical sound transitive verb 1. to assail or drive out by hooting <hooted down the speaker> 2. to express or utter with hoots <hooted their disapproval> II. noun Date: 15th century 1. a sound of hooting; especially the cry of an owl 2. a minimum amount or degree ; the least bit <don't give a hoot> 3. something or someone amusing <the play is a real hoot> • hooty adjective III. interjection or hoots Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1540 chiefly Scottish — used to express impatience, dissatisfaction, or objection

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 an owl's cry. 2 the sound made by a motor horn or a steam whistle. 3 a shout expressing scorn or disapproval; an inarticulate shout. 4 colloq. a laughter. b a cause of this. 5 (also two hoots) sl. anything at all (don't care a hoot; don't give a hoot; doesn't matter two hoots). --v. 1 intr. a (of an owl) utter its cry. b (of a motor horn or steam whistle) make a hoot. c (often foll. by at) make loud sounds, esp. of scorn or disapproval or colloq. merriment (hooted with laughter). 2 tr. a assail with scornful shouts. b (often foll. by out, away) drive away by hooting. 3 tr. sound (a motor horn or steam whistle). Etymology: ME huten (v.), perh. imit.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hoot Hoot (h[=oo]t), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Hooted; p. pr. & vb. n. Hooting.] [OE. hoten, houten, huten; cf. OSw. huta, Sw. huta ut to take one up sharply, fr. Sw. hut interj., begone! cf. also W. hwt off! off with it! away! hoot!] 1. To cry out or shout in contempt. Matrons and girls shall hoot at thee no more. --Dryden. 2. To make the peculiar cry of an owl. The clamorous owl that nightly hoots. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hoot Hoot, v. t. To assail with contemptuous cries or shouts; to follow with derisive shouts. Partridge and his clan may hoot me for a cheat. --Swift.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hoot Hoot, n. 1. A derisive cry or shout. --Glanvill. 2. The cry of an owl. Hoot owl (Zo["o]l.), the barred owl (Syrnium nebulosum). See Barred owl.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(hoots, hooting, hooted) 1. If you hoot the horn on a vehicle or if it hoots, it makes a loud noise on one note. (mainly BRIT) I never hoot my horn when I pick a girl up for a date... Somewhere in the distance a siren hooted... I can be very rude to motorists who hoot at me... VERB: V n, V, V at n • Hoot is also a noun. (in AM, usually use honk, toot) Mortlake strode on, ignoring the car, in spite of a further warning hoot. N-COUNT 2. If you hoot, you make a loud high-pitched noise when you are laughing or showing disapproval. The protesters chanted, blew whistles and hooted at the name of Governor Pete Wilson... VERB: V • Hoot is also a noun. His confession was greeted with derisive hoots... N-COUNT: usu with supp 3. When an owl hoots, it makes a sound like a long 'oo'. Out in the garden an owl hooted suddenly. VERB: V 4. If you say that you don't give a hoot or don't care two hoots about something, you are emphasizing that you do not care at all about it. (INFORMAL) Alan doesn't care two hoots about Irish politics... PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR about/for n, PHR wh [emphasis]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. 1. Shout or cry out or yell in contempt. 2. Cry like an owl. II. v. a. Execrate, denounce, hiss, cry down, cry out against, hoot at. III. n. Shout or cry or outcry or yell of contempt.

Moby Thesaurus

Bronx, Bronx cheer, a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot, bagatelle, bark, battle cry, bauble, bawl, bean, bellow, bibelot, bird, bit, boo, booing, brass farthing, button, cackle, call, carol, catcall, caterwaul, caw, cent, chatter, cheep, cheer, chirk, chirp, chirr, chirrup, chitter, chuck, clack, cluck, cock-a-doodle-doo, coo, croak, cronk, crow, cry, cuckoo, curio, drum, farce, farthing, feather, fig, fleabite, folderol, fribble, frippery, gabble, gaggle, gaud, gewgaw, gimcrack, give the bird, give the raspberry, gobble, guggle, hail, hair, halfpenny, halloo, hill of beans, hiss, hissing, holler, hollo, honk, hoo, howl, hurrah, jest, joke, kickshaw, knickknack, knickknackery, minikin, mockery, molehill, peep, peppercorn, picayune, pin, pinch of snuff, pinprick, pip, pipe, quack, rallying cry, rap, raspberry, razz, red cent, roar, roll, row of pins, rush, scold, scream, screech, shit, shout, shriek, sing, snap, sneeshing, sou, squall, squawk, squeal, straw, the bird, toy, trifle, trill, trinket, triviality, tuppence, tweet, twit, twitter, two cents, twopence, war cry, war whoop, warble, whim-wham, whistle, whistle at, whoop, yammer, yap, yawl, yawp, yell, yelp, yo-ho, yowl