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honk

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Honk and hönk

English

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Etymology 1

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Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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Car horn honking.
Geese honking.

honk (third-person singular simple present honks, present participle honking, simple past and past participle honked)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To use a car horn.
    They stood and observed how long it took for the other cars to honk.
  2. (intransitive) To make a loud, harsh sound like a car horn.
  3. (intransitive) To make the vocal sound of a goose.
  4. (slang, intransitive) To vomit.
    • 1992, Wayne's World (film):
      WAYNE: Phil, what are you doing here? You're partied out, man. Again.
      GARTH: What if he honks in the car?
  5. (Australia and UK, slang) To have a bad smell.
    Synonyms: stink, pong
  6. (informal) To squeeze playfully, usually a breast or nose.
    She honked my titties.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Noun

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honk (countable and uncountable, plural honks)

  1. The harsh note produced by a typical car horn.
    • 1961 July, J. Geoffrey Todd, “Impressions of railroading in the United States:Part Two”, in Trains Illustrated, page 424:
      The operator went out on to the platform with his handlamp and waved it in the traditional "wash-out" signal across the body. The engineer had been expecting this and responded at once with an acknowledging honk on the horn before bringing this huge, 16-car train gently to a stand at the platform.
  2. The cry of a goose or similar bird.
  3. (Australia and UK, slang) A bad smell.
    Synonyms: stink, pong
Translations
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Interjection

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honk

  1. Imitation of car horn, used, for example, to clear a path for oneself.
Translations
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Translations

Etymology 2

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Noun

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honk (plural honks)

  1. Clipping of honky.

See also

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Anagrams

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Dutch

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Etymology

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    From Middle Dutch honc (“corner, nook”), likely through Old Dutch from Proto-Germanic *hunk-, *hank-. Cognate with East Frisian Low German Hunk (“house”) and perhaps with the Old High German name Hancwin. Likely related to haak (“hook”) and hoek (“corner”). Perhaps also comparable to Alemannic German Huuche (“iron hook”), if this is formed like triiche (“to drink”). The whole group is assumed to be of substrate origin.[1]

    This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
    Particularly: “Might it be further relatable to the group mentioned at Old English hnocc (via metathesis)?”

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    honk n (plural honken, diminutive honkje n)

    1. (somewhat rare) home, place where one belongs, shelter
    2. (games) base (safe zone, e.g. in baseball and similar sports)

    Synonyms

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    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    • → Papiamentu: honk (dated)

    References

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    1. ^ van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “honk”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute
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