coo
verb (used without object)
to utter or imitate the soft, murmuring sound characteristic of doves.
coo
1 American
[koo]
/ ku /
verb (used without object)
-
coos,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cooed,
past participle, past
-
cooing
present participle
-
to utter or imitate the soft, murmuring sound characteristic of doves.
-
to murmur or talk fondly or amorously.
verb (used with object)
-
coos,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cooed,
past participle, past
-
cooing
present participle
noun
-
coos
plural
coo
2
American
[koo]
/ ku /
interjection
British Slang.
Coo
3
American
[kaw-aw]
/ ˈkɔ ɔ /
noun
COO
4
American
coo
1
British
/ kuː /
verb
-
(intr) (of doves, pigeons, etc) to make a characteristic soft throaty call
-
(tr) to speak in a soft murmur
-
(intr) to murmur lovingly (esp in the phrase bill and coo )
noun
interjection
CoO
2
British
abbreviation
COO
3
British
abbreviation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
coosimple
-
coossimple
-
have cooedperfect
-
has cooedperfect
-
am cooingprogressive
-
are cooingprogressive
-
is cooingprogressive
-
have been cooingperfect progressive
-
has been cooingperfect progressive
Past
-
cooedsimple
-
had cooedperfect
-
was cooingprogressive
-
were cooingprogressive
-
had been cooingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of coo1
First recorded in 1660–70; imitative
Origin of coo2
First recorded in 1910–15; origin uncertain
Explanation
A coo is the low, sweet sound that a bird makes, especially a dove or pigeon. If a dove builds a nest outside your open window, you'll be able to hear its coos every morning. There is a small, gray pigeon that's called a mourning dove because its coo is so sad sounding. When you hear a bird making this distinctive sound, you can also say that it coos — and if a person murmurs in a low, soft voice, you can say that she coos too. The word coo has been used since at least the late 1600s, and its origin is probably imitative, the word sounding very much like the sound it describes.
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.
See Examples For:
Surfing YouTube for throat whistlers, Saxon came across a former circus performer named Paul “The Birdman” Manalatos who had developed a signature coo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025
Within the Bubble, the perpetually peppy Lindy is in constant conversation with her friends; she chats away with the cadence — and vocal fry — of a family-friendly YouTuber, and they coo back.
From New York Times ● May 31, 2024
If at all possible, you should live in a place where you don't have to constantly be looking over your shoulder in fear while you coo at the baby.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2024
Like “The Osbournes” heads of the household before them, Lachey and Simpson were already married before the cameras moved in, leaving us no opportunities to coo over rose petals, sequins and tulle.
From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2024
"Oh Jake, this apartment is perfect for us, just perfect," Grace Wexler argued in a whining coo.
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
Thailand’s Komet Sukprasert was the silver medalist with bronze for Patrick Bren Coo of the Philippines.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 1, 2023
Police said they believed the single-vehicle crash had happened between 21:00 on Thursday and the early hours of Friday near the island's Coo Road.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2022
She wore a T-shirt at the hearing that read “It’s Coo To Be Kind” and said she had fond memories of giving the birds treats with her grandparents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2017
She covers society, politics, culture and everything in between. @hellobuglers BREAKING: Lady Millicentia Strage, Grand Mistress Of The Royal Coo, seen entering hospital, ready to officially fuss over the new baby.
From Time ● Jul. 22, 2013
He’d fight all of them if he had to, before giving Coo up.
From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar
As president and COO, roles he has held since 2018, he and Solomon worked on identifying the firm’s next generation of leaders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
The company has been transitioning duties associated with Waldron’s COO role to its finance chief Denis Coleman over the past year, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
But Ryanair COO Neal McMahon repeated his calls for Rolfe to be fired, accusing him of having again "failed UK travellers".
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
“Starlink had a standout quarter, driven by continued growth across our consumer, enterprise and government businesses,” SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell told investors last month.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
The COO, Mari, turns to Hideo and asks him something in Japanese.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
PO4, it is decomposed into the metaphosphate of sodium, NaPO3, CoO + NaPO3 = CoNaPO4.
From The Elements of Blowpipe Analysis by Frederick Hutton Getman
Three characteristic oxides of cobalt are known, the monoxide, CoO, the sesquioxide, Co2O3, and tricobalt tetroxide, Co3O4; besides these there are probably oxides of composition CoO2, Co8O9, Co6O7 and Co4O5.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5 "Clervaux" to "Cockade" by Various
CoO, or smalt, gives blue; uranium oxide, green; a mixture of Au and Sn of uncertain composition, called the "purple of Cassius," gives purple.
From An Introduction to Chemical Science by Rufus Phillips Williams
Cobalt monoxide, CoO, is prepared by heating the hydroxide or carbonate in a current of air, or by heating the oxide Co3O4 in a current of carbon dioxide.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5 "Clervaux" to "Cockade" by Various
In one of their most popular videos, the pair coos to the camera.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
It’s there when everybody coos at Han’s white cat making a surprise appearance — and even in how quickly they offer to lip-read and interpret Gladstone’s comments while she’s sorting out her mute button.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025
In another episode, she slides pans of cake batter into her oven and blithely coos, “Good night, sweetheart.”
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2025
“Daddy’s taking movies again,” coos Nicole, who met Simpson when she was 18, as she cuddles her infant child on the beach.
From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2024
“It’s all right, dear. Everything’s all right,” she coos.
From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
As she peeled one away and put forward the next, she cooed about the baby: so beautiful, so healthy.
From Slate ● May 2, 2025
"Look at the children. They're so cute," she cooed.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2024
They would be chops in less than a year, and Ms. Mahoney cooed to them between my questions.
From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2024
We may have collectively cooed over The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s televised 2018 marriage ceremony, but that is a once-in-a-lifetime extravaganza that decidedly will not repeat.
From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2024
When I get to the Pizza Pit on Thursday afternoon, Hector is being held by Connor and getting cooed at by a table of old ladies.
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
“Nah,” I thought, as I watched the cooing baby in my arms.
From Salon ● Dec. 3, 2025
Usually it plays out as a cute moment, the assembled gaggle cooing awwww at the exchange as the queried party answers far more effusively than they do for their daily adult nemeses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
One of his favorites is the sound of cooing pigeons — pests to some, but also survivors who’ve adapted to survive on crumbs of kindness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025
Lipa wonders amid cooing backup vocals, and she goes on to rap, “Another girl falls in love/Another girl leaves the club.”
From New York Times ● May 3, 2024
All of a sudden, I hear something cooing.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
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.
