Phrasal verb
hoon around
Definition
phrasal verb. to drive a car in a fast, noisy, or dangerous way to show off.
phrasal verb. to drive a motor vehicle recklessly or at high speed, typically in a public area; marked as informal and specific to certain regional varieties.
Examples
“The teenagers like to hoon around the empty car park at night.”
“Residents complained to the police about local youths who hoon around the quiet suburban streets every Friday evening.”
“The local council installed speed bumps to prevent enthusiasts from hooning around the coastal road during the summer months.”
Examples
simple
“The teenagers like to hoon around the empty car park at night.”
contextual
“Residents complained to the police about local youths who hoon around the quiet suburban streets every Friday evening.”
complex
“The local council installed speed bumps to prevent enthusiasts from hooning around the coastal road during the summer months.”
Usage
usually used in the continuous form (hooning around) to describe a repeated or ongoing activity.
Teaching tip
this is a culturally specific term primarily used in Australia and New Zealand; it carries a negative connotation of being a public nuisance.
Pitfall
They were hooning around of the block.
They were hooning around the block.
the phrase acts as an intransitive verb or takes a prepositional object directly; do not add 'of' after 'around'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
around
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
hoon + around
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/hoon-around