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Glite Dictionary
to give a hoot

to give a hoot

9 8.1
To not care at all about something
  • idiom
  • Archaic
translation icon : importar
  • When did you give a hoot about women's lib?
  • really give a hoot
  • give a hoot about anybody else
  • give a hoot in hell

No one reached out, no one gave a hoot.

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Examples

  • The Republican Party doesn't give a hoot about me or my family.

    Blog text (21)

  • Otherwise, nobody from either party gives a hoot if I get up in the morning... you either.

    Blog text (21)

  • Well, I give a hoot.

    Brian and Charles (2022)

  • I give a hoot about you, too.

    Brian and Charles (2022)

  • I don't give a hoot about money.

    Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes (2000)

  • Personally, I don't give a hoot if Wright is right or wrong.

    Blog text (29)

  • I don't see why that stat should mean anything if no one gave a hoot about it 50 years ago.

    Blog text (3)

  • Nice letter, but Time Inc., Essence Magazine's parent company, doesn't give a hoot about promoting Black womanhood.

    Blog text (7)

  • The head honchos who make millions per year don't give a hoot about anything but lining their wallets.

    Blog text (24)

  • I don't give a hoot about the latest celebrity gossip.

Synonyms

to give a damn
vsto give a hoot
  • NSFW
172 8.8

To not care at all about someone or something

is mainly used negatively rather than as a neutral expression of care
to give a rat
vsto give a hoot
  • Slang
9 9.9

To care at all about something

is mainly used negatively rather than as a blunt general remark
to give a rip
vsto give a hoot
  • Slang
2 9.5

To not care at all about something

is mainly used in negative sentences rather than casual denial
to give a rat's arse
vsto give a hoot
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To not care at all about something

is mainly used negatively rather than as a regional informal phrase
to give a monkey's
vsto give a hoot
  • Slang
1 9.9

To not care at all about something, usually in negative sentences

is mostly used negatively rather than as a neutral statement
to care a hang
vsto give a hoot
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To feel no interest or worry at all about something

is mainly used negatively rather than as a formal term of concern
to give a flying shit
vsto give a hoot
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To say in rude language that someone does not care at all

is mainly used negatively rather than with strong vulgar emphasis
to give a hang
vsto give a hoot
  • Archaic
9.3

To not care at all about something, used only in negative sentences

is mainly negative but not necessarily always used to emphasise indifference
to give a sneck posset
vsto give a hoot
  • Archaic
9.9

Not care at all about something

is mainly used negatively rather than as an archaic option
to care a jackstraw
vsto give a hoot
  • Archaic
9.9

To feel no interest or concern about something

is mainly used negatively rather than to state minimal care lightly
to care a lottle
vsto give a hoot
  • UK
9.9

Not be very interested in something, said as a joke

is mainly used negatively rather than as a playful understatement

How Concerned

to care
∞ 1.0
to give a hoot
  • Archaic
9 8.1
to give a hang
  • Archaic
9.3
to could care less
  • Informal
1 9.1

Surface Forms

give a hoot infinitive
giving a hoot present participle
gives a hoot third person singular
gave a hoot past
given a hoot past participle

Morphology

give + a + hoot

The sense 'to care' can be partially deduced from 'give' (to provide/assign) combined with 'hoot' when the learner knows the slang sense of 'hoot' as meaning little value or a small amount of concern, so some speakers could infer 'give a hoot' = give any concern. However, 'hoot' is often known as an owl sound and the expression is used idiomatically (especially in negative forms), so the exact evaluative meaning is not fully predictable to a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Give a hoot may come from an old use of hoot for a very small thing or from the short sound an owl makes. If you will not even give that tiny hoot, you 'do not care', which is why 'not give a hoot' means 'not care' today.