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Glite Dictionary
to whoop it up

to whoop it up

3 8.8
To celebrate loudly with cheering and noisy fun
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈhuːp ɪt ʌp/
  • Informal
translation icon : celebrar
  • Gus and Ralph are whooping it up like kids on a roller coaster.
  • go to whoop it up
  • gotta whoop it up
  • just whoop it up

Examples

  • Two fun couples like them, they should be whooping it up.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Sure, at the Awards Assembly I received twin gold medals, but Percy picked up two silver pins, and after Hilton announced he had broad-jumped out of the Legion and into the fourth grade, you would think the Dodgers had just won the pennant with all the yelling, cheering, and whooping it up.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Yeah, we might have whooped it up some, you and me.

    Hud (1963)

  • I aim to whoop it up a little.

    How the West Was Won (1962)

  • Enjoy your moment of glory, whoop it up.

    The Million Dollar Hotel (2000)

  • Halloween is my husband's birthday, so we will be whooping it up big time.

    Blog text (27)

  • It's Rashid's birthday and we decided to whoop it up.

    Smoke (1995)

  • Before too long, folks were singing along, line-dancing, and whooping it up.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • "I heard them whooping it up," she said, but she sounded amused.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • It's Rashid's birthday and we decided to whoop it up with music and dancing.

Synonyms

to revel
vsto whoop it up
17 4.9

To celebrate loudly with dancing and drinking

is not tied to drinking or dancing and fits many celebrations
to kick up one's heels
vsto whoop it up
  • Informal
3 7.2

To have fun and forget your worries

is louder and more enthusiastic rather than merely carefree and relaxed
to make merry
vsto whoop it up
  • Archaic
2 5.6

Celebrate loudly with food, drink, and dancing

is used for joyful social gatherings that often include meals
to make whoopee
vsto whoop it up
  • Archaic
1 8.7

Enjoy a loud, lively party with dancing and drinking

is not limited to parties or drinking and suits many celebrations
to jollify
vsto whoop it up
  • Archaic
9.8

Celebrate loudly with singing, dancing, and drinking

is more general and not focused on merrymaking or drinking
to wassail
vsto whoop it up
  • Archaic
9.9

To celebrate loudly with singing and drinking

is general noisy enjoyment without the ritual or toasting element

Antonyms

to be quiet
231 1.0

To stop making noise or talking

How Lively

to wildin'
  • Slang
9.9
to let loose
  • Informal
12 3.9
to whoop it up
  • Informal
3 8.8
to party
  • Informal
298 3.0
to have a ball
  • Informal
31 6.5

Surface Forms

whoop it up infinitive
whooped it up past
whooped it up past participle
whooping it up present participle
whoops it up third person singular

Morphology

whoop + it + up

The verb 'whoop' means to emit loud cries of enthusiasm and 'up' here functions as an intensifying particle while 'it' is a dummy object, so the overall sense 'celebrate loudly' is directly inferable from the constituents. A B1 learner who knows 'whoop' and the particle use of 'up' would reasonably predict this meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

Whoop it up comes from the loud shout whoop people make when they are very happy and the phrase it up that makes the action bigger, so imagine a crowd shouting and jumping in joy. That's why it means 'to celebrate loudly and have a lot of fun'.