hoot¹ (hūt)

v., hoot·ed, hoot·ing, hoots.

v.intr.

1. To utter the characteristic cry of an owl.
2. To make a loud raucous cry, especially of derision or contempt.

v.tr.

1. To shout down or drive off with jeering cries: hooted the speaker off the platform.
2. To express or convey by hooting: hooted their disgust.

n.

1. 1. The characteristic cry of an owl.
   2. A sound suggesting the cry of an owl, especially the sound of a horn.
2. A cry of scorn or derision.
3. Informal. One that is hilariously funny: "Emmett, that skirt is a hoot!" (Bobbie Ann Mason).

idiom:

not give (or care) a hoot

1. To be completely indifferent to: I don't give a hoot what you think.

[Middle English houten, of imitative origin.]

hoot² (hūt, ūt) also hoots (hūts, ūts)
interj. Scots
Used to express annoyance or objection.


hoot³ (hūt)
n. Informal
A hootenanny.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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