shout-out

noun

ˈshau̇t-ˌau̇t 

variants or less commonly shoutout

plural shout-outs also shoutouts

informal

: a public expression of greeting, praise, or acknowledgement directed toward a person or group often as part of a performance, recording, or broadcast

She opened her acceptance speech with a shout-out to James Baldwin, the author of the book on which the movie was based, calling him "one of the greatest artists of our time."

—Neal Justin

Here are a few lyrical shout-outs to some of hip hop's favorite designers.

—Scott Poulson-Bryant

She even gave a shoutout to one of her former teachers on Twitter, and encouraged others to do the same.

—Emily Sweeney

Examples of shout-out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Big speeches make the hair on your neck stand up (shout-out to my favorite psycho, Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera), and the cast assembled by Nina Gold and Martin Ware is sterling across-the-board. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2025

The president also couldn’t resist a playful shout-out to his wife. —Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 21 Apr. 2025

The post goes on to include appreciation shout-outs to the Dodgers organization, Ohtani's teammates, and fans for their support. —Devonne Goode, Parents, 21 Apr. 2025

Could Ted’s shout-out to Donna mean that her portrayer Sarah Rafferty will also make a surprise appearance while her hubby Harvey is helping Ted? —Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shout-out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

shout–out

noun

variants also shoutout

ˈshau̇t-ˌau̇t

informal

: a public expression of greeting, praise, or acknowledgment directed toward a person or group often as part of a performance, broadcast, or recording