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

In her statement on the nomination, Anderson expressed her gratitude and gave Cyrus, Li and Wyatt a shout-out for their work. —Charna Flam, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024

Rock’s full-of-misguided-confidence performance here gives a nice hint at what to expect this weekend, and new cast member Jane Wickline makes for a fine foil. And stick around for Rock’s final bit of misinformation, which doubles as an excellent shout-out to a ghost of SNL past. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024

The singer gave a shout-out to his homeland when he was announced among the Top 5 finalists. —Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024

Fans are sure to appreciate the call-outs and references to the earlier movies, including sections incorporating composer Howard Shore’s original themes and a late shout-out to Gandalf. —Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined above

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