What does heehaw mean?
Heehaw is an informal word for the loud braying sound made by a donkey or mule, and it can also be used as a verb meaning to make that sound. The word is chiefly associated with American English and is especially familiar in rural, ranching, and humorous contexts. As an interjection, “heehaw” can express surprise, amusement, or ridicule, often with a slightly derisive tone when used to comment on someone's foolishness or unexpected behavior. Its appeal lies in being strongly imitative: the two syllables imitate the extended bray associated with donkeys. Although “haw” can also refer to a braying sound, “heehaw” is the more familiar and expressive rendering, and it appears readily in both descriptions of animal sounds and jokes or informal dialogue.
The loud, braying sound made by a donkey or mule.
"The donkey answered with a loud heehaw."
The noun is countable and informal.
To make the braying sound characteristic of a donkey or mule.
"The mule heehawed and began pulling the cart forward."
Usually used intransitively.
An informal exclamation expressing surprise, amusement, or ridicule.
"Heehaw! You actually brought the whole thing back."
The exclamation is informal and can sound mildly derisive.
The plural is used for individual braying sounds or cries.
"The donkeys answered the call with a series of heehaws."
Heehaw is one of the few English words that sounds almost exactly like the animal it names: a donkey's bray.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does heehaw come from?
Heehaw developed in 19th-century American English as an imitative expression for the braying of a donkey or mule. Its formation echoes the characteristic “hee-haw” cry, with the repeated syllables suggesting the sound's length and rhythm. The word has no firmly established connection to a non-English language, and its history is chiefly an example of English onomatopoeia.
Related word forms
How heehaw is actually used
Heehaw is informal and chiefly American. Its use as a cry or a verb is straightforward, while its use as an exclamation can suggest amusement, surprise, or mild mockery, especially when directed at someone else's behavior.
Easily confused with heehaw
Haw is a separate, broader word that can denote a braying sound as well as a hedge or fruit; heehaw is the familiar two-syllable rendering of a donkey's bray.