# hoon around

CEFR C1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hoon-around
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to drive a car in a fast, noisy, or dangerous way to show off.

For teachers: 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.

## Pitfalls

- Not "They were hooning around of the block." but "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'.

## Usage notes

- 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.