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Glite Dictionary
to make whoopee

to make whoopee

1 8.7
Enjoy a loud, lively party with dancing and drinking
  • phrasal verb
  • /meɪk ˈhʊpi/
  • Archaic
translation icon : celebrar
  • That's right, folks, it's too hot to sleep, too hot to work, and definitely too hot to make whoopee!

So on these shows they usually say like making whoopee or, you know, beaten cheats.

Examples

  • By the way, while you were making whoopee, I was making history.

    Scanners III: The Takeover (1992)

  • Would you ever make whoopee in public?

    Mallrats (1995)

  • Tonight, Mr. Chips, you and I are going to make whoopee.

    Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)

  • Take the same chick, same dude, they make a deal, they make whoopee, but this time, they do it in front of a camera.

    Whatever It Takes (1998)

  • After a long week at work, they decided to make whoopee and celebrate the weekend with friends.

  • The party lasted all night as everyone gathered to make whoopee and enjoy the festivities.

  • We plan to make whoopee at the festival with music, dancing, and plenty of drinks.

Synonyms

to party
vsto make whoopee
  • Informal
298 3.0

To spend time with others celebrating, dancing, and drinking

is a more general term that can include quieter events
to revel
vsto make whoopee
17 4.9

To celebrate loudly with dancing and drinking

is the same joyful celebration but focused on noisy fun
to whoop it up
vsto make whoopee
  • Informal
3 8.8

To celebrate loudly with cheering and noisy fun

is similar but often implies group drinking and partying
to make merry
vsto make whoopee
  • Archaic
2 5.6

Celebrate loudly with food, drink, and dancing

is similar but highlights noisy enjoyment linked to partying
to jollify
vsto make whoopee
  • Archaic
9.8

Celebrate loudly with singing, dancing, and drinking

is more about noisy enjoyment often tied to partying
to wassail
vsto make whoopee
  • Archaic
9.9

To celebrate loudly with singing and drinking

is broader and not always focused on formal toasting
to shivoo
vsto make whoopee
  • Archaic
9.9

To join a noisy, cheerful party with music and dancing

is the same kind of celebration but emphasizing social meetups

Antonyms

to mourn
191 3.0

Feel or show deep sadness after someone dies

sulk
3 4.3

A time of refusing to talk because you feel annoyed or disappointed

How Celebratory

to carouse
  • Archaic
4 9.3
to revel
17 4.9
to make whoopee
  • Archaic
1 8.7
to have a ball
  • Informal
31 6.5
to celebrate
∞ 1.4
to socialize
  • US
68 2.8

Surface Forms

make whoopee infinitive
made whoopee past
made whoopee past participle
making whoopee present participle
makes whoopee third person singular

Morphology

make + whoopee

The sense 'to celebrate or enjoy oneself' is directly compositional from 'make' (to cause or perform) + 'whoopee' (a noisy exuberant celebration), so a learner who knows both words can infer the idiom's meaning. This verb + noun causative pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, making the expression predictable; (note: the phrase also has a euphemistic sexual sense in some contexts, but the core celebratory meaning is derivable from the parts).

Etymology

Make whoopee comes from an old song and from the loud shout whoopee people used when they were having noisy fun. So, to make whoopee is to join that noisy fun — to party and 'to celebrate or enjoy oneself'.