give a hoot

English

United States Forest Service's Woodsy Owl mascot.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Australia):

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Verb

give a hoot (third-person singular simple present gives a hoot, present participle giving a hoot, simple past gave a hoot, past participle given a hoot)

1. (chiefly US slang, idiomatic, euphemistic, chiefly in the negative) To care about; to place value on something.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:care

   • 1909 July, Wilberforce Jenkins, “A True Philosopher”, in Munsey's Magazine‎^[1], volume 41, number 4, Light Verse, page 595:

     I don't care for a glorious name— / I wouldn't give a hoot for fame;

   • 1971 September 15, United States Forest Service, Woodsy Owl PSA‎^[2], YouTube:

     Give a hoot — don't pollute!

Related terms

• give two hoots

Translations

to care about — see give a shit