holler

1 of 3

verb

hol·​ler ˈhä-lər How to pronounce holler (audio)
hollered; hollering ˈhä-lə-riŋ How to pronounce holler (audio)
ˈhäl-riŋ
Synonyms of hollernext

intransitive verb

1
: to cry out (as to attract attention or in pain) : shout
hollering for help
2
: gripe, complain
will always holler about tax increases

transitive verb

: to call out (a word or phrase)
hollering her daughter's name

holler

2 of 3

noun

1
: shout, cry
give a holler if you need any help
2
: complaint
3
: an African American work song freely improvised usually in terms of the particular occupation of the moment and often without words
a cornfield holler

holler

3 of 3

chiefly dialectal variant of

Synonyms

Verb

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of holler in a Sentence

Verb He was hollering across the fields to his workers. They were screaming and hollering at each other all night. She hollered across the street, “Did you hear the news?”.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
To a mélange of Peggy Lee and Shirley Bassey tunes, Karina Precious shook her tailfeathers, quite literally, and dropped into a jazz split as nightlife legend Dianne Brill and DJ duo The Muses hooped and hollered in their booth. — Freya Drohan, Vogue, 12 Feb. 2025 While the health-secretary nominee testified, his fans in the audience hooted and hollered in support. — Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2025
Noun
The prolonged hoots and hollers that followed, so soon after the concert’s start, said it all: there were two stars in the house. — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025 The Trojans, in black and gold, sprinted onto the field to hollers from friends and families who filled barely half the bleachers. — Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 19 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for holler

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

alteration of hollo

First Known Use

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of holler was in 1592

Rhymes for holler

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Browse Nearby Words

holler
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Cite this Entry

“Holler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holler. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

holler

verb
hol·​ler
ˈhäl-ər
hollered; hollering
-(ə-)riŋ
1
: to cry or call out : shout
2
: complain sense 1
holler noun

More from Merriam-Webster on holler

Nglish: Translation of holler for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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