Meaning & Origin
“Toot one’s own horn” means to boast about yourself — drawing attention to your success or abilities. The image comes from musicians or heralds literally blowing a horn to announce themselves, later becoming a figurative way to describe self‑promotion.
Pronunciation Guide
- toot — like the short horn sound.
- one’s — sounds like “wunz.”
- horn — rhymes with “born.”
- Natural rhythm: TOOT one’s OWN HORN.
Usage & Sentence Examples
Use it when someone is openly praising themselves. It can be playful or mildly negative, depending on tone.
- Not to toot my own horn, but I shipped the fix two days early.
- He kept tooting his own horn about closing that deal.
- She rarely toots her own horn — her work speaks for itself.
- I’ll toot our own horn for a second: support response time is under 5 minutes.
- If you never toot your own horn, people may miss your impact.
- The post came off as tooting their own horn a bit too much.
Synonyms
brag · boast · self‑promote · talk yourself up · sing one’s own praises · pat yourself on the back
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