war whoop

noun

1. a yell uttered in making an attack:

   the war whoop of the American Indian.

war whoop

noun

1. the yell or howl uttered, esp by North American Indians, while making an attack

Word History and Origins

Origin of war whoop¹

An Americanism dating back to 1705–15

Example Sentences

On a short summer night, listen and you might hear a war whoop skitter out of the darkness along the riverbanks, followed by the scattering yips of coyotes on Mount Sentinel.

From New York Times

Old rifles were brought out from closets and several hundred men gathered excitedly on the main street, hoisting their battered weapons and raising war whoops for the news cameras.

From Washington Post

Mr. White’s brother, Robert, let loose a war whoop as they chewed.

From New York Times

I let out a war whoop like a wild Apache Indian and jumped in the trench with them.”

From Washington Post

With a cast of characters as ludicrously combative as professional wrestlers, he turned the 2016 Republican National Convention into “The Donald Trump Show,” a marathon of war whoops, insult comedy, racist dog-whistling and dystopian storytelling.

From Los Angeles Times