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:
As the family is photographed, several Aces members come in and pause for a brief hug and coo before ducking quickly out of frame.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
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
With their bobbing heads, clumsy gaits and dull-sounding "coo" noises, pigeons are often mistaken for being downright stupid pests.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2023
The birds coo and hop as Nigel moves from cage to cage, pouring water into small bowls.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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
“I better go,” she said, handing Coo back to Armpit.
From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar
Alan asked Eimear Bonner on stage last night at the WSJ Leadership Institute CFO and COO Council dinner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 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
But change is in the air, said Yang Qian, the COO of X Square Robot, which produces robots for use in homes and logistics.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
The AI company’s former COO said he was leaving to “start something new.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The COO, Mari, turns to Hideo and asks him something in Japanese.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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
PO4, it is decomposed into the metaphosphate of sodium, NaPO3, CoO + NaPO3 = CoNaPO4.
From The Elements of Blowpipe Analysis by Frederick Hutton Getman
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
“Sylvester, sister,” Bernhard coos, “You were so beautiful, you were so fragile, you were so . . . real.”
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
In one of their most popular videos, the pair coos to the camera.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Iris is visibly insecure about Isaac’s conversations with other women, including the strawberry peddler who coos that he has “soft hands,” and his mother, who dials him up to crack inside jokes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 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
“Calm down, Duuzuu,” I chided, but his coos only grew more spirited.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
As the vet administered the euthanasia that ended Cosmo’s suffering, I cooed to him Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend” until his paws didn’t flutter anymore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
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
Then, while French pigeons cooed outside and strong coffee brewed on the Moka pot, we sat down and ate.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2023
He had been recruited by Texas A & M, and as he recalled all the false promises that were cooed into his ear he couldn’t help but give a little chuckle.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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
Instead, I’d laugh, cooing for more lemon to revel in those strong sensations over and over again.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2025
You could hear them cooing inside the courtroom as they flipped through children's books.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 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
When Aureliano told her, Pilar Ternera let out a deep laugh, the old expansive laugh that ended up as a cooing of doves.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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