cooing

American  

[koo-ing] / ˈku ɪŋ /

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.

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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

Etymology

Origin of cooing

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

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

“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

You could hear them cooing inside the courtroom as they flipped through children's books.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2025

Ears like a bush baby, but that didn’t stop the girls in port from cooing over his smooth brown skin and short black curls.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Related Words

• murmur