Meaning & use
hooting and hollering
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Loud, excited shouting and noise, especially when people are celebrating or having fun.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; often in the pattern 'there was hooting and hollering'.
Patterns
- there was hooting and hollering
- a lot of hooting and hollering
- hootin' and hollerin'
When the team scored, there was hooting and hollering from the stands.
The party next door kept up their hooting and hollering until midnight.
We could hear hooting and hollering coming from the carnival rides.
phrasefixed phraseinformal
The act of shouting and making a lot of noise in a wild or uncontrolled way.
Grammar: Often used after verbs like 'start' or 'stop': 'They started hooting and hollering.'
Patterns
- start hooting and hollering
- stop hooting and hollering
- keep hooting and hollering
The kids started hooting and hollering as soon as the clown appeared.
He kept hooting and hollering even after the show ended.
Everyone was hooting and hollering when the surprise was announced.
Common combinations
- a lot of hooting and hollering
- There was a lot of hooting and hollering when the winner was announced.
- hootin' and hollerin'
- The crowd was hootin' and hollerin' all night long.
- hear hooting and hollering
- From our house we could hear hooting and hollering from the fairground.
- start hooting and hollering
- The fans started hooting and hollering as the band came on stage.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shouting
- A more general word for loud calls; 'hooting and hollering' suggests a lively, informal, often celebratory kind of noise.
- cheering
- Often used for support at sports or events; 'hooting and hollering' can include laughter and wild excitement.
- commotion
- A neutral word for noisy disturbance; 'hooting and hollering' is more specific and informal.
Commonly confused: hooting and hollering or hooting?
hooting and hollering vs hooting
On its own, 'hooting' can mean the sound an owl makes or loud laughter; 'hooting and hollering' is a fixed phrase for noisy excitement.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hooting and hollering' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 1 correctly uses the phrase as a noun for loud, excited noise at a celebration. Option 0 is wrong because libraries are quiet and the phrase suggests noise. Option 2 is wrong because the phrase is not used as an adjective before 'presentation'. Option 3 is ungrammatical because the phrase is not a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hooting and hollering”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.