whoof

English

Interjection

whoof

  1. The sound of a dog barking.
  2. The sound of a steam train, steam boat, etc.
    • 1902, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Bush Studies (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 5:
      Whoof! whoof! its steaming breath hissed at her.

Noun

whoof (plural whoofs)

  1. Alternative spelling of woof
    • 1918, James Oliver Curwood, The Grizzly King‎:
      Thor rose from beside the rock with a prodigious whoof that roused Muskwa.
    • 1920, James Stephens, Irish Fairy Tales‎:
      A little whoof, like the sound that would be made by a baby and it asleep, came from Cona'n.

Verb

whoof (third-person singular simple present whoofs, present participle whoofing, simple past and past participle whoofed)

  1. (intransitive) To make a snuffling noise, like a bear or a steam engine.
    • 1980, Stephen King, Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game:
      He kicked Leo in the ribs to wake him up. Leo grunted and whoofed.
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