war whoop
1
8.8
- noun
- /wɔr hup/
- Archaic
:
grito de guerra
- The loud war whoop signaled the start of the fierce competition among the teams.
- let out a war whoop
- give a war whoop
Examples
-
The man stormed away, and other warriors joined in defiant war whoops.
Fiction book (1992) -
Wider and lower: Magua raises his musket in his fist and emits a war whoop.
Fiction book (1992) -
Suddenly, in the distance, we heard the welcome sound of war whoops.
Academic text (2010) -
Some men in the rear break into war whoops.
Fiction book (2000) -
When he lets out that war whoop, the Lord only knows what's gonna happen!
-
Through the ringing in her ears, she heard someone give a war whoop.
Fiction book (1991) -
He raised his fist and let out a war whoop of celebration, and others joined in.
Fiction book (1992) -
His last statement, made with no change or acceleration in his tense voice, was explained in the next moment when we heard a distant but unmistakable war-whoop and turned our eyes back to our wagon, sitting alone in the distance.
Fiction book (1993) -
"Because Medicine Wolf is with us again and can offer the blessing of the wolf's paws, I know that we will be victorious!" The men broke out into war whoops, raising fists and weapons, the women joining them so that the noise was almost deafening, and Black Buffalo had to raise his hands to quiet them.
Fiction book (1992) -
The warriors raised their voices in a loud war whoop to intimidate the enemy.
Synonyms
12
5.6
A short word or phrase that encourages people to unite and act for a cause
8
3.9
A loud shout or short phrase that encourages people to act together
3
9.1
A loud shout of joy or excitement
2
4.3
A loud shout to encourage or rally people before a battle
A loud cry of joy from a person or group
Antonyms
How Loud
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is transparently built from 'war' (related to fighting/armies) + 'whoop' (a loud cry), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a loud cry associated with warfare or warriors. The compound follows normal English noun-composition patterns and the sense (a rallying or intimidating shout) is directly predictable from the constituents.
Etymology
War whoop comes from warriors making a loud cry in battle. The word whoop is a high, strong shout and war shows it was used by fighters, and these cries helped 'rally' friends and 'intimidate' enemies, so today 'war whoop' means a loud, fierce shout to encourage or scare people.