honk
/ˈhɒŋk
/noun
1The cry of a wild goose.Goats bleated occasionally, chickens clucked and honks from geese could be heard sometimes....
- In general, vocalizations are varied and include: trumpeting, whistles, twitters, honks, barks, grunts, quacks, croaks and growls.
- When a goose is flying in formation its call is a slow, measured honk.
1.1The harsh sound of a car horn.The deafening honk of a car horn sounded, which was soon followed by a loud yell of ‘Get off the road’ from a passing car....
- My mother would give a gentle honk of the car horn to indicate that we had arrived and Granny Perin would be at the door to greet us.
- With a double honk of the car horn, they sped away.
verb
1Make or cause to make a honk: [no object]: geese circled around and honked [with object]: fans honked their horns...
- Several drivers honk their horns in support and the huddle of firefighters on the picket line lift their arms in grateful acknowledgement.
- Drivers drove by and honked their horns in support.
- Passing cars, buses and taxis honked horns in support, and a pedestrian raised a fist.
2 [no object] British informal Vomit.One only took notice of them when they came back sloshed on Saturday nights and honked on the stairs.
Origin
Mid 19th century: imitative.