hee-haw
/'hi:'hɔ:/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A loud, harsh, braying sound: The characteristic cry of a donkey or mule, often described as "hee-haw."
- A loud, raucous laugh: A laugh that resembles the braying sound of a donkey, often implying it is crude, unrestrained, or foolish.
Verb (intransitive):
- To bray like a donkey: To make the loud, harsh cry characteristic of a donkey or mule.
- To laugh loudly and raucously: To laugh in a loud, harsh, and often foolish manner.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- The only sound from the field was the occasional hee-haw of a donkey.
- He let out a loud hee-haw of laughter at the silly joke.
Verb:
- The donkey hee-hawed loudly when it saw its owner.
- The audience hee-hawed at the comedian's exaggerated pratfall.
Advanced Usage
- Onomatopoeic Use: "Hee-haw" is primarily an onomatopoeic word, meaning it phonetically imitates the sound it describes. This is its most common and fundamental usage.
- Derogatory Connotation for Laughter: When used to describe human laughter, it often carries a negative connotation, suggesting the laughter is stupid, vulgar, or unsophisticated.
- His hee-hawing during the serious speech was very inappropriate.
Variants and Related Words
- Bray (verb/noun): The more standard term for the sound a donkey makes. "Hee-haw" is the onomatopoeic representation of a bray.
- Guffaw (noun/verb): A loud, boisterous laugh. While similar, a "guffaw" is not specifically compared to an animal sound.
Synonyms
- Noun (for sound): Bray, braying.
- Noun (for laugh): Guffaw, roar, cackle.
- Verb (to make sound): Bray.
- Verb (to laugh): Guffaw, roar, howl.
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs.)
Related Idioms
- To laugh like a donkey/hyena: An idiom suggesting loud, harsh, and foolish laughter, similar to "hee-hawing."
- He didn't just chuckle; he laughed like a donkey at the cartoon.
Noun
- a loud laugh that sounds like a horse neighing
Verb
- braying characteristic of donkeys