dodo
Americannoun
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any of several clumsy, flightless, extinct birds of the genera Raphus and Pezophaps, related to pigeons but about the size of a turkey, formerly inhabiting the islands of Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodriguez.
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Slang. a dull-witted, slow-reacting person.
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a person with old-fashioned, conservative, or outmoded ideas.
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a thing that is outmoded or obsolete.
noun
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any flightless bird, esp Raphus cucullatus, of the recently extinct family Raphidae of Mauritius and adjacent islands: order Columbiformes (pigeons, etc). They had a hooked bill, short stout legs, and greyish plumage See also ratite
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informal an intensely conservative or reactionary person who is unaware of changing fashions, ideas, etc
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(of a person or thing) irretrievably defunct or out of date
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of dodo
First recorded in 1620–30, dodo is from the Portuguese word doudo, fool, madman (of uncertain origin); the bird apparently so called from its clumsy appearance
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Now if the last remaining hereditary peers play their cards right, they could endure another Labour prime minister and delay their destiny to go the way of the dodo.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
I came across exactly one ultra-rare single-zero roulette wheel on the Strip, which felt a little bit like uncovering the hutch of the last surviving dodo.
From Slate • Nov. 18, 2025
The Hall of Extinction and Hope analogizes manmade climate change and habitat destruction to a slow-moving asteroid that has already obliterated species such as the passenger pigeon, dodo and great auk.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2025
But with the pension going the way of the dodo, planning and saving for retirement isn't your employer's problem anymore.
From Salon • Sep. 13, 2024
“Playing with Roli, dodo bird,” Tomas says a little too loudly.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
