cuckoo

American  

[koo-koo, kook-oo] / ˈku ku, ˈkʊk u /

noun

cuckoos plural

1. a common European bird, Cuculus canorus, of the family Cuculidae, noted for its characteristic call and its brood parasitism.

2. any of several other birds of the family Cuculidae.

3. the call of the cuckoo, or an imitation of it.

4. Slang. a crazy, silly, or foolish person; simpleton.

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verb (used without object)

cuckooed, cuckooing

1. to utter the call of the cuckoo or an imitation of it.

verb (used with object)

cuckooed, cuckooing

1. to repeat monotonously.

adjective

1. Slang. crazy; silly; foolish.

2. of, relating to, or like a cuckoo.

cuckoo British  

/ ˈkʊkuː /

noun

1. any bird of the family Cuculidae, having pointed wings, a long tail, and zygodactyl feet: order Cuculiformes. Many species, including the European cuckoo ( Cuculus canorus ), lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and have a two-note call

2. informal an insane or foolish person

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adjective

1. informal insane or foolish

interjection

1. an imitation or representation of the call of a cuckoo

verb

1. (tr) to repeat over and over

2. (intr) to make the sound imitated by the word cuckoo

cuckoo Idioms  

1. see cloud-cuckoo land.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cuckoos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cuckoo

1200–50; Middle English cuc ( c ) u, cuccuk ( e ) (imitative); compare Latin cucūlus, French coucou, German Kuckuk, Dutch koekoek, Modern Greek koûko

Explanation

A cuckoo is a type of long-tailed bird that's known for laying its eggs in the nests of other birds. In the summer, you're most likely to see cuckoos in various parts of Europe. The famous German cuckoo clock is named for the cuckoo bird, and the cuckoo sound the clock makes each hour imitates the call of the cuckoo. To make this call is also to cuckoo. Informally, you might refer to eccentric or crazy people or situations as cuckoo. Though this informal meaning is credited to American English, the word has been used to mean "stupid person" since at least the 1580s.

Example Sentences

Following Outnumbered, Drew-Honey went on to star in comedy Cuckoo and documentary series Tyger Takes On.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2024

Watch the official trailer for "Cuckoo" here, and see it when it hits theaters in the U.S. on August 9, distributed by Neon.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2024

So the hens known as “meat birds” or “broilers” are less popular than the Golden Cuckoo Marans that lay cacao-colored eggs or pink-egging Salmon Faverolle.

From Washington Post • Mar. 6, 2023

Other top ebooks included Matt Haig’s “The Midnight Library,” Anthony Doerr’s “Cloud Cuckoo Land,” and, of course, two books by publishing phenomenon Colleen Hoover, “Verity” and “It Ends With Us.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2023

And Cuckoo made haste to say, “Anyone can see the thing and a lovely lad he is and too big for idleness and longing.”

From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck