hoot

/huːt/ (bre, ipa) · /huːt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhüt/ (ame, mw)

hoot — 名詞

  • hootsingular
  • hootsplural

1. a short, high-pitched sound made by a car horn, a whistle, or a person, often us

1.名詞A2
釋義

鳴叫聲

短促高亢的響聲

a short, high-pitched sound made by a car horn, a whistle, or a person, often used to get someone's attention or to show a strong feeling such as anger or amusement

例句

Pablo gave two quick hoots on his car horn to let his friend know he was waiting outside.

Pablo 按了兩下喇叭，讓朋友知道他已經在外面等。

give a hoot — make the sound with a horn

A loud hoot from the crowd made Fatima turn around to see what had happened on the field.

群眾發出一聲大喊，讓 Fatima 轉頭去看球場上發生了什麼事。

a hoot from [someone/something] — source of the sound

同義詞
  • beep

    a short high sound from a car horn, shorter and less forceful than a hoot

  • honk

    the loud sound of a car horn, especially a long or repeated one

  • shout

    a loud human cry; less specific than hoot, which refers to a particular pitch pattern

文法句型

a hoot

give a hoot

let out a hoot

常見錯誤

❌The owl made a hoot' (when talking about a car horn).
✅The driver gave a hoot on his horn.
💡an owl's call is a different sense; use 'hoot' for mechanical sounds and crowd noises with a prepositional phrase showing the source.

2. the long, low calling sound that an owl makes, especially at night

2.名詞A1
釋義

鴞叫聲

貓頭鷹發出的低沉叫聲

the long, low calling sound that an owl makes, especially at night

例句

Zahra woke up when she heard the deep hoot of an owl just outside her window.

Zahra 醒來時，聽到窗外傳來貓頭鷹低沉的叫聲。

the hoot of an owl — possessive structure

The forest was quiet except for an owl's hoot echoing through the dark trees.

森林裡一片寂靜，只有貓頭鷹的叫聲在漆黑的樹林間迴盪。

同義詞
  • call

    the general word for any sound a bird makes; less specific than hoot

  • cry

    a loud bird sound, sometimes used for owls but more commonly for other birds

文法句型

an owl's hoot

the hoot of an owl

用法筆記

Distinguish from the LOUD SOUND sense (noun/1): owl hoots are long and low-pitched, whereas the sound of a car horn or crowd is short and high-pitched.

常見錯誤

❌I heard an owl hoot' (when you mean the sound as a noun).
✅I heard an owl's hoot.
💡for the noun, use the possessive form or 'the hoot of an owl'.

3. the smallest possible amount of interest or concern — used almost always in nega

3.名詞B2
釋義

在乎

絲毫不關心；不在乎

the smallest possible amount of interest or concern — used almost always in negative sentences to say that someone does not care at all about something

例句

Ibrahim does not give a hoot about what other people think of his old bicycle.

Ibrahim 根本不在乎別人怎麼看他那輛舊腳踏車。

not give a hoot about [something] — complete lack of concern

Xin did not give a single hoot whether her dress was fashionable or not.

Xin 一點也不在乎她的洋裝是否時髦。

同義詞
反義詞
  • care

    to have interest or concern; the opposite of the 'not give a hoot' meaning

文法句型

not give a hoot about [something]

don't give a hoot

用法筆記

Almost always used in negative constructions (not give a hoot, didn't give a hoot) or in questions ('Who gives a hoot?'). The affirmative 'give a hoot' is very rare and sounds unnatural to most native speakers. Register is informal — not appropriate for formal writing.

常見錯誤

❌I give a hoot about the environment.' (affirmative, unnatural).
✅I do not give a hoot about fashion.
💡use this phrase only in negative or question forms.
❌I don't give a hoot to go to the party.' (confusing with 'care to').
✅I don't give a hoot about going to the party.
💡the pattern is 'give a hoot about [noun/gerund]'.

hoot — 動詞