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

Production values are top-notch, with a shout-out to the special effects team for a spectacular set piece involving a pool collapse in Berlin that serves as the highlight of the action sequences. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2025

Also, just a shout-out to what great work David Rasche is doing on this series. —Erin Qualey, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025

Phylicia Rashad directs performances that are uniformly excellent, but a special shout-out to Alana Arenas, who is remarkable as the in-law who only wants out. —Ew Staff, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2025

Huge shout-out to the garlic naan, which was incredible. —Andrew King, Axios, 31 Mar. 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