coo
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
to utter or imitate the soft, murmuring sound characteristic of doves.
-
to murmur or talk fondly or amorously.
verb (used with object)
noun
interjection
noun
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
abbreviation
abbreviation
Other Word Forms
- cooer noun
- cooingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of coo1
First recorded in 1660–70; imitative
Origin of coo2
First recorded in 1910–15; origin uncertain
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.
Shelly, who speaks in a heightened version of Anderson’s breathy coo, is a fellow Francophile.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2025
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
Even the Pokémon noises are gently mellowed out in contrast to the coarser, more caterwauling sounds of the games; here the creatures purr, cry, coo and sigh like docile house pets.
From New York Times • Jan. 13, 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
It came, a twitter, a coo, a subdued roar that seemed trying to tell me something, give me some message.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
