whoop, whoopin’, whooped
In Appalachian and Southern speech, "whoop" can mean to spank, beat, or whip; "a whoopin’" is the spanking or beating itself; and "whooped" often means worn out or defeated.
Hillbilly Dude Says...
Oh out in the country, you'll hear 'whoop' in all its forms on a daily basis. Pronunciation
[WHOOP] or [WOOP] (varies)
Meaning & Usage
- To spank or whip (verb)
Mae:
Kids won’t settle down.
Kids won’t settle down.
Earl:
Then they’ll get whooped if they keep at it.
Then they’ll get whooped if they keep at it.- A spanking or beating (noun: "whoopin’")
Mae:
What happened after he cheated?
What happened after he cheated?
Earl:
He got a whoopin’ from the principal.
He got a whoopin’ from the principal.- To defeat badly (verb/figurative)
Mae:
How bad’d we lose?
How bad’d we lose?
Earl:
Other team flat-out whooped us.
Other team flat-out whooped us.- To wear out; exhaust (adjective/figurative)
Mae:
You alright?
You alright?
Earl:
Just whooped from haulin’ hay all day.
Just whooped from haulin’ hay all day.other spellings: whip, spank, beat, exhausted, the teacher whooped him for sass, he got a whoopin’ at school, other team whooped us good, I’m plumb whooped after farmin’ all day, and that trail about whooped me
★ "Whoop" is one of those flexible words: in one breath it can mean a spanking, in another it’s about a fight, and in another it’s just being tired. Tone and context tell which one. ★
Origin
From Middle English *whuppen* or *wuppen*, meaning to beat. In American rural speech it became "whoop" or "whup," especially strong in Southern and Appalachian dialects.
Notes
Still widely used in the South and Appalachia. Outside the region, people usually understand it in the "defeat" or "exhausted" sense, but less often in the "spanking" sense. Variants: *whup, whupped, whoopin’.*
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "whoop." In the South it often sounds like "woop." Past tense: "whooped" → "whoopt" or "whupped."