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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The actor thanked the actors who played his family members in the film and gave a shout-out to the host city’s beleaguered filmmaking community. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Mar. 2025 Gabe also enjoys giving his dad shout-outs whenever an opportunity comes up, including on birthdays and holidays — sometimes with a quip thrown in. Emy Lacroix, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025 For example, sharing praise during your one-on-one, giving a shout-out in a team meeting or celebrating someone publicly on an internal communication platform are easy ways to make recognition matter. David Bator, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025 One of the fellow Bob Does Sports guys, Joey Cold Cuts, was watching and gave Perez a shout-out on X, formerly Twitter. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shout-out

Word History

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shout-out was in 1990

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Cite this Entry

“Shout-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shout-out. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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