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:
Shelly, who speaks in a heightened version of Anderson’s breathy coo, is a fellow Francophile.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 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
They coo and fuss over the infant, swap feeding and nappy-changing duties, and take turns to stay with him so one of them can get some sleep.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2023
Mike led us out of the room, leaving Lizzie to coo over the pineapples and oranges.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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
After My Coo Ca Choo, the singer had a 1974 No 1 hit with Jealous Mind, and enjoyed more than a dozen hits into the 1980s.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 23, 2014
Dad, will you tell me the story about Coo Coo?
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
The AI company’s former COO said he was leaving to “start something new.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Marc Winterhoff, Lucid’s COO and former interim CEO, also left the company.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Soccer’s COO and the man who led the coaching search, said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Esports Foundation COO and deputy CEO Mike McCabe says the biggest challenge when relocating the event to Paris's Porte de Versailles exhibition centre was time.
From BBC ● Jul. 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
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
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
In one of their most popular videos, the pair coos to the camera.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
A mention of the illustrious bird-of-paradise flower elicits coos and awe from the women.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026
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
“I love the way you love the way I play with my hair,” his girlfriend coos back.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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
They cooed over Arias’ daughter, Mia, who had learned to walk in her Salinas home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
“Welcome,” Amanda cooed, sweeping Maggie into a hug.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2023
“It’s all right, Crookshanks,” Hermione cooed through the wickerwork.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
There were gurgling, cooing, month-and-a-half old newborns in Brooklyn and Westchester who had never known the soul-emptying pain of a crushing Knicks defeat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
“They do know when someone someone’s ill, right?” he said to no one before scratching Penny’s tummy and cooing, “You know I’m ill, right? I’m ill!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2025
Instead, I’d laugh, cooing for more lemon to revel in those strong sensations over and over again.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 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
In the courtyard a couple cooing on the bench beneath the palmetto saw us coming and bolted, so that’s where we sat.
From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
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.
