hoop·erat·ing noun orhooper rating\|hu̇pəˈrād.]iŋ, |hüp-, -āt], ]ēŋ\ (-s) Usage: usually capitalized H Etymology: after Claude E. Hooper died 1954 American statistician : a percentage indication of the number of radios or television sets tuned to a particular program at a particular time < rain on a Sunday raises Hooperatings — Saul Carson > < the most glamorous, high Hooperating show on the air — Frederic Wakeman >