cooing

[koo-ing]

noun

1. an act or instance of uttering or imitating the soft murmuring sound characteristic of doves.

   Jim recognized the sound as the cooing of a pigeon, although some of us thought it was an owl.

2. the act of murmuring or talking fondly or admiringly.

   I’m no fan of fancy goodies—not for me the cooing over iced Halloween cupcakes topped with fondant pumpkins.

adjective

1. making the sound characteristic of doves.

   Since February, the lake has come alive again with a few pairs of mallards and a cooing eider duck.

2. murmuring or talking fondly or admiringly.

   Strolling on the boardwalk were cooing couples, briefcase-toting executives, and chattering children with their nannies.

Other Word Forms

• cooingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of cooing¹

First recorded in 1660–70; coo ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; coo ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses

Example Sentences

She approached a flock that was about a hundred birds strong, all cooing and strutting across the cobblestones as if they owned the place.

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“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!”

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Instead, I’d laugh, cooing for more lemon to revel in those strong sensations over and over again.

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Otherwise, Anderson holds her own, cooing her one-liners with the kittenish candor of Marilyn Monroe.

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But Gadot gets the best number in a tepid batch, a villain’s anthem that welds together a half-dozen sneering, cooing, minor-key tempo shifts.

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Related Words

• murmur