honk

honk — verb

1. to produce a loud, high-pitched noise in one or two short bursts, as a vehicle h

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to produce a loud, high-pitched noise in one or two short bursts, as a vehicle horn does when pressed or as a goose does when calling out.

Example

Tamar honked the car horn to let her friend know she had arrived.

honk + horn + to-infinitive for purpose

A large goose honked angrily when the children came too close to its nest.

honk for an angry goose call

Common collocations
  • honk a horn
  • honk loudly
  • honk at someone
  • honk angrily
  • honk twice
Synonyms
  • beep

    shorter, higher-pitched electronic sound, often used for car locking signals rather than road communication

  • toot

    lighter and shorter than a honk, often playful or polite

  • blare

    much louder and more aggressive, often unpleasant

Grammar Patterns

honk + (a/the) horn

honk at + person/thing

honk (intransitive)

Usage Note

The transitive form always takes a horn or signal as the direct object (honk a horn, not honk a car). The intransitive form is very common in traffic contexts ('cars were honking').

Common Mistakes

He honked the car at me.
He honked his horn at me.
you honk the horn itself, not the whole vehicle.
The car honked.
The car's horn honked.
or simply 'The car honked its horn.'

2. to throw up food or drink from your stomach, often after heavy drinking or feeli

2.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

to throw up food or drink from your stomach, often after heavy drinking or feeling very sick.

Example

After too much beer at the party, Hassan went outside and honked behind a bush.

informal slang for vomiting after drinking

The rough boat ride made Mert so sick that he honked over the side of the boat.

Common collocations
  • honk after drinking
  • honk into the toilet
  • honk outside
Synonyms
  • throw up

    neutral, the standard everyday expression

  • puke

    similar level of informality

  • be sick

    common in British English, neutral

Grammar Patterns

honk (no object)

honk + prepositional phrase (after / into)

Usage Note

Strongly informal slang. Avoid in formal writing, medical contexts, or polite conversation. Most common in British and Australian informal speech.

Common Mistakes

The patient honked several times and the nurse recorded it.
The patient was sick several times and the nurse recorded it.
'honk' is too informal for medical or serious situations.

honk — noun

Word family

  • honking
    nounB2
  • honking
    adjectiveB2
  • honker
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe sounds made by vehicle horns, but they differ in pitch, volume, and tone. A honk is the standard sound of a car horn — medium-loud and lasting about one second. A beep is shorter and higher in pitch, often used for electronic signals like locking a car ('the car beeped twice'). A toot is lighter and more playful, sometimes made by a bicycle horn or a polite tap on a car horn. A blare is much louder and more aggressive, suggesting anger or urgency. For example: 'She gave a friendly toot as she drove past,' but 'The truck driver let out a furious blare that scared everyone nearby.' A honk sits in the middle — strong enough to warn others, but not as harsh as a blare.

beep ↗tootblare

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • honk a horn
  • let out a honk
  • give a honk

Prepositions

Etymology

English (American)Onomatopoeia

The word 'honk' is an onomatopoeic word — it was created by imitating the sound it describes. It first appeared in American English in the mid-1800s, originally for the cry of a goose. By the early 1900s, as cars became common, people began using the same word for the sound of a car horn, because it sounded similar to a goose's call.