whooper

[ hoo-per, hwoo-, woo- ]

noun

1. a person or thing that whoops.
2. whooper swan.
3. Informal. whooping crane.

whooper

/ ˈwuːpə /

noun

1. a large white Old World swan, Cygnus cygnus, having a black bill with a yellow base and a noisy whooping cry

Word History and Origins

Origin of whooper¹

First recorded in 1650–60; whoop + -er ¹

Example Sentences

The smallest of the UK's wild swans, Bewick's have more black on their yellow bills than Britain's other long-distance migrant, the whooper.

From BBC

Numbers of whooper swans are predicted to double in the UK by 2030, thanks to efforts to protect the wetlands where they spend the winter.

From BBC

In the harvested corn fields, big flocks of muddy whooper swans were eating leftovers, but apart from them, not a bird sang.

From New York Times

Only about 800 “whoopers” exist, according to the International Crane Foundation.

From Seattle Times

The Green Belt of Fennoscandia, for instance, is not just a landscape of elk and whooper swans — it is the home of the Indigenous Sámi, whose traditional knowledge of plants, animals, and geography is encyclopedic.

From Salon