huzzah
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Likely originally a hoisting cry, possibly related to hoise. Compare possibly to the cognate Swedish hissa (“to hoist; huzzah”), Spanish izar (“to hoist”) and French Ho, hisse! (“Hey, hoist!”). First attested in the 1570s.
Pronunciation
Interjection
huzzah
- (nautical, dated) Used as a call for coordinated physical effort, as in hoisting.
- (literary, poetic, archaic, sometimes humorous) Used as a cheer indicating exaltation, enjoyment, or approval.
- 2014, Yacht Club Games, Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope, Nintendo 3DS, level/area: Village:
- Deposed King: 'KING KNIGHT REIGNS NO MORE? HUZZAH! NOW I CAN RULE PRIDEMOOR! HURRAH!'
Synonyms
- (hoisting cry): heave, heave-ho
- (cheer indicating enjoyment or approval): hooray, hurrah, hurray, see also Thesaurus:well done.
Noun
huzzah (plural huzzahs)
- A cheer often associated with sailors, shouted by a group in praise of a thing or event.
- 1924, Herbert Weir Smyth, “VI. Orestea. I: Agamemnon”, in Aeschylean Tragedy, page 167:
- The night that she was awakened by the loud huzzah of the Watchman on her palace roof, she thrilled with the hope that her vengeance awaited only the arrival of the propitious hour.
Verb
huzzah (third-person singular simple present huzzahs, present participle huzzahing, simple past and past participle huzzahed)
- (ambitransitive) To cheer (someone or something) with a huzzah sound.
- Synonyms: cheer on, hurrah, hurray; see also Thesaurus:cheer
- 1710 October 2 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, “The Whig-Examiner: No. 2. Thursday, September 21. [1710.]”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; […], volume IV, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], published 1721, →OCLC, page 339:
- Towns have been taken, and battles have been won; the mob has huzza'd round bonefires, the Stentor of the chappel has ſtrained his throat in the gallery, and the Stentor of S——m has deafned his audience from the pulpit.
- 1891, Littell’s Living Age, volume 191, page 260:
- In the course of his table-talk, during the French war, the ex-chancellor once remarked that, though the Prussian people huzza'd and beclapped their great Frederick when alive, […]