Word.ws English Dictionary

rootin' tootin'

Syllables: root·in' toot·in'UK/ˈɹuːtn̩ ˈtuːtn̩/US/ˈɹutn̩ ˈtutn̩/

rootin' tootin' adjective: loudly exciting or impressive; boisterous, riotous.

Adjective (1)

rootin' tootin' (humorous superlative rootinest tootinest)

  1. (US, informal, traditionally associated with the Wild West) Loudly exciting or impressive; boisterous, riotous.
    • I am happy to second the nomination of that rootin’, tootin’, son-of-a-gun from Pennsylvania, Jimmy Van Zandt.1933 August 31, George K. Brobeck, “Fifth Business Session, August 31, 1933”, in Proceedings of the 34th National Encampment of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Milwaukee...
    • The theme song “Up and Down the Monon,” written by John A. McGee, follows: […] UP and down the Monon / Everything is fine, / ’cause that rootin’, tootin’ Monon / She’s a Hoosier line!1947 March 8, John A. McGee, quotee, “Indiana Society Celebrates Monon Centennial”, in Samuel O. Dunn, editor, Railway Age, volume 122, number 10, Philadelphia, Pa.: Simmons-Boardman Publishing...
    Synonyms:
    hootin' tootin'

Adjective (2)

rootin' tootin'

  1. (archaic, rare, Lancashire) Overly inquisitive about other's affairs; interfering, nosy.
    • ROOTIN’, […] meddlesome, inquisitive. / He’s a rootin’ tootin’ sort of a chap.[1881 (date recorded), John H[oward] Nodal, George Milner, “ROOTIN’”, in A Glossary of the Lancashire Dialect (Publications of the Manchester Literary Club), part II (F–Z), Manchester: […] [F]or the...
    Synonyms:
    meddlesome, prying

Synonyms of rootin' tootin'

Forms of rootin' tootin'

alternative formrootin', tootin'
alternative formrootin'-tootin'
alternative formrooting tooting
alternative formrooting-tooting
superlative (humorous)rootinest tootinest

Origin of rootin' tootin'

Possibly from rooty-toot (“something loudly exciting, boisterous, or riotous”, noun) (chiefly US, slang), from rooty-toot (“to make a tooting sound; to act in a jaunty or lively manner”, verb), ultimately imitative of a trumpet’s sound, perhaps also influenced by toot (“to go on a drinking binge or spree”) (US, slang), or tootin', tooting (intensifying adjective) (US, slang).

Probably from rooting (“of a pig: that digs or turns up with its snout; that rummages or searches”, adjective), reduplicated with a change of the initial consonant; compare also toot (“to see; to spy”).

Questions about rootin' tootin'

What does rootin' tootin' mean?
Rootin' tootin' means loudly exciting or impressive; boisterous, riotous.
What part of speech is rootin' tootin'?
Rootin' tootin' is an adjective.
How do you pronounce rootin' tootin'?
Rootin' tootin' is pronounced /ˈɹuːtn̩ ˈtuːtn̩/ (UK).

Words near rootin' tootin' in the dictionary

  1. roothole
  2. rootholes
  3. rootier
  4. rootiest
  5. rootin'
  6. rootin' tootin'
  7. rootin', tootin'
  8. rootin'-tootin'
  9. rootin'est tootin'est
  10. rootiness
  11. rootinest tootinest

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: rootin' tootin' (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “rootin' tootin'.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/rootin%27_tootin%27. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.