honk
gb/hˈɔŋk/ us/hˈɔŋk/
B1
English
dudál, rádudál, dudaszó, dudálás, gágog, gágogás, ormány, trombitál, kifújja az orrát
VERB
B1
1
Usage pattern:
honk (at) [someone]; honk [the horn]
The driver behind me honked when the light turned green.
A mögöttem álló sofőr dudált, amikor zöldre váltott a lámpa.
Please don’t honk outside the hospital at night.
Kérjük, éjszaka ne dudáljanak a kórház előtt.
Someone honked at the cyclist for drifting into the lane.
Learner examples
Don’t honk here.
Itt ne dudálj.
He honked at the taxi.
Rádudált a taxira.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse honk with beep/toot; honk often suggests a louder, harsher horn sound.
Meaning
sound a vehicle’s horn
Collocations
honk the horn
|honk at a driver
|give a quick honk
|honk repeatedly
|honk in traffic
|honk in frustration
|honk to get attention
|honk to say hello
|cars honking outside
|no honking
Synonyms
beep (Usually a shorter, lighter sound, often electronic.)
|
toot (Often suggests a small or friendly horn sound.)
|
sound the horn (More general and slightly more formal.)
Antonyms
silence (To avoid making any horn sound.)
Themes
transport
|daily_life
Definition
To make a car horn sound.
To make a short, loud sound with a horn, especially the horn of a car, to warn someone or show annoyance or greeting.
NOUN
B1
2
Usage pattern:
a honk (of [a horn])
I heard a honk behind me and stepped back onto the sidewalk.
Dudaszót hallottam magam mögött, és visszaléptem a járdára.
A long honk echoed through the street.
Egy hosszú dudálás visszhangzott végig az utcán.
The honks started as soon as the parade stopped.
Learner examples
I heard a honk.
Dudaszót hallottam.
There was a loud honk.
Hangos dudálás hallatszott.
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse horn as the sound; honk is the sound itself.
Meaning
short horn sound
Collocations
a loud honk
|a quick honk
|a single honk
|a long honk
|repeated honks
|a honk of the horn
|the honk of a car horn
|honks of impatience
|hear a honk
|give a honk
Synonyms
beep (Often lighter and shorter than a honk.)
|
toot (Often friendlier or less aggressive.)
|
blast (Emphasizes a very loud or long horn sound.)
Antonyms
silence (No sound at all.)
Themes
transport
|daily_life
Definition
A short loud horn sound.
A short, loud sound made by a horn, especially a vehicle’s horn.
VERB
B2
3
gágog
B1
Usage pattern:
[birds] honk; honk (over/near) [place]
Geese honked as they flew over the river.
A vadludak gágogtak, ahogy átrepültek a folyó fölött.
A pair of geese honked noisily near the path.
Két lúd hangosan gágogott az ösvény közelében.
The birds honked all morning by the pond.
Learner examples
The geese honked.
A libák gágogtak.
I heard birds honking.
Madarak gágogását hallottam.
Meaning
make a goose-like cry
Collocations
geese honking
|honk loudly
|honk overhead
|honk across the lake
|a flock honking
|honking at dawn
Synonyms
call (General verb for animal sounds; less specific.)
|
cry (General verb for loud bird sounds; less specific.)
Antonyms
silence (To make no sound.)
Themes
nature
|animals
Definition
(Of some birds) to make a loud cry.
To make a loud, harsh cry like a goose or similar bird.
NOUN
B2
4
gágogás
B1
Usage pattern:
a honk; honks (from/of) [birds]
We followed the honks to the edge of the lake.
A gágogást követve a tó széléhez értünk.
The honks grew louder as the flock approached.
A gágogás egyre hangosabb lett, ahogy a madárcsapat közeledett.
A sudden honk startled the dog.
Learner examples
I heard a honk from the pond.
Gágogást hallottam a tó felől.
Meaning
a goose’s harsh cry
Collocations
a goose honk
|loud honks
|a chorus of honks
|honks from the pond
|hear honks
|wake to honks
Synonyms
call (More general term for bird sounds.)
|
cry (More general term; can sound more dramatic.)
Antonyms
silence (No sound.)
Themes
nature
|animals
Definition
The loud cry of a goose.
A loud, harsh cry made by a goose or similar bird.
NOUN
C1
INFORMAL
5
ormány
B2
Usage pattern:
a (big) honk (of a nose)
He’s got a real honk of a nose, and his friends tease him about it.
Jó nagy ormánya van, és a barátai ezzel ugratják.
That cold has left my honk completely blocked.
Ettől a náthától teljesen eldugult az ormányom.
She tapped him on the honk and laughed.
Common mistake:
This use can sound insulting; neutral alternatives are nose or nostrils.
Meaning
nose (informal, often rude)
Collocations
a big honk of a nose
|a honk of a nose
|a huge honk
|break your honk
Synonyms
nose (Neutral and standard.)
|
schnoz (More obviously slang and humorous.)
Themes
body
|humor
Definition
(Informal) a nose.
A person’s nose, especially one that is large or noticeable (often used humorously or insultingly).
VERB
B2
INFORMAL
6
trombitál
B2
Usage pattern:
honk (into) [a tissue]; honk [your nose]
He grabbed a tissue and honked loudly.
Fogott egy zsebkendőt, és hangosan beletrombitált.
She kept honking into her sleeve because she’d run out of tissues.
Folyton az ingujjába trombitált, mert elfogyott a zsebkendője.
Stop honking and wash your hands.
Learner examples
He honked into a tissue.
Beletrombitált egy zsebkendőbe.
Meaning
blow your nose loudly
Collocations
honk into a tissue
|honk your nose
|honk loudly
|honk all night
|honk and sniff
Synonyms
blow your nose (Neutral and the most common phrase.)
|
snort (More about breathing in/out noisily; not always with a tissue.)
Antonyms
sniffle (To keep drawing mucus back instead of blowing it out.)
Themes
health
|body
|daily_life
Definition
To blow your nose loudly.
To blow air forcefully through your nose, especially in a noisy way, usually into a tissue.
Grammar
Dictionary form
honk
IPA
GB/hˈɔŋk/
US/hˈɔŋk/
Syllables & stress
honk (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (honk)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: honk
- Plural: honks
Verb
- Base: honk
- 3rd Person Singular: honks
- Present Participle: honking
- Past: honked
Word family
Forms
honks
noun
honking
verb
honked
verb
Related words
horn
noun A2
honker
noun
Expressions
honk if you [clause]
1/hˈɔŋk ˈɪf jˈu klˈɔz/
fixed phrase
informal
ask drivers to honk
Used to tell drivers to honk if they agree.
Examples
- The bumper sticker said, “Honk if you love pizza.”
- Someone held up a sign reading, “Honk if you support the teachers.”
- I saw “Honk if you’re happy” painted on the back of a truck.
Learner examples
- It says, “Honk if you agree.”
honk off
1/hˈɔŋk ˈɔf/
phrasal verb
vulgar
masturbate (crude slang)
(Very rude) to masturbate.
Examples
- He made a crude comment about honking off instead of going out.
- The film includes a vulgar joke about someone honking off in the bathroom.
honk up
1/hˈɔŋk ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
slang
cough up phlegm (slang)
To cough up mucus.
Examples
- After the cold, he was still honking up mucus in the mornings.
- The singer stopped mid-song to honk up phlegm and spit it out.