dodo

American  

[doh-doh] / ˈdoʊ doʊ /

noun

dodos, plural dodoes plural

1. any of several clumsy, flightless, extinct birds of the genera Raphus and Pezophaps, related to pigeons but about the size of a turkey, formerly inhabiting the islands of Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodriguez.

2. Slang. a dull-witted, slow-reacting person.

3. a person with old-fashioned, conservative, or outmoded ideas.

4. a thing that is outmoded or obsolete.

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dodo British  

/ ˈdəʊdəʊ /

noun

1. any flightless bird, esp Raphus cucullatus, of the recently extinct family Raphidae of Mauritius and adjacent islands: order Columbiformes (pigeons, etc). They had a hooked bill, short stout legs, and greyish plumage See also ratite

2. informal an intensely conservative or reactionary person who is unaware of changing fashions, ideas, etc

3. (of a person or thing) irretrievably defunct or out of date

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dodo Idioms  

1. see under dead as a doornail.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dodoism
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• dodoes
  plural
• dodos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dodo

First recorded in 1620–30, dodo is from the Portuguese word doudo, fool, madman (of uncertain origin); the bird apparently so called from its clumsy appearance

Example Sentences

Famous examples include the giant tortoises of the Galapagos and the extinct Dodo of Mauritius.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2026

The company’s remaining websites — the Verge, Eater, Popsugar, SB Nation and the Dodo — have been carved off as part of a new, as yet unnamed company.

From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026

Even a producer for the Dodo, an animal-centric media outlet, admitted to falling for the bouncing bunnies.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026

The Georgia, Florida, and New York criminal trials thus seem to have all gone the way of the Dodo bird.

From Slate • Nov. 26, 2024

I knew the woman well It was Dodo Conway.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

Related Words

• clodpoll