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^[1]:

     Thor rose from beside the rock with a prodigious whoof that roused Muskwa.

   • 1920, James Stephens, Irish Fairy Tales‎^[2]:

     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.