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dodo

American  
[doh-doh] / ˈdoʊ doʊ /

noun

plural

dodos, dodoes

  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.

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 (of a person or thing) irretrievably defunct or out of date

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
dodo Idioms  

  1. see under dead as a doornail.

Other Word Forms

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Hall of Extinction and Hope analogizes manmade climate change and habitat destruction to a slow-moving asteroid that has already obliterated species such as the passenger pigeon, dodo and great auk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2025

Patience, of course, is as rare as the dodo bird on the Govan Road.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2025

But with the pension going the way of the dodo, planning and saving for retirement isn't your employer's problem anymore.

From Salon • Sep. 13, 2024

In between live-action roles, Tudyk broke into animation by voicing a dodo in 2002’s “Ice Age.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2024

“Remember, Incorrigibles: You have important responsibilities today, which you will shortly learn more about. There will be no time for dodo sitting,” she said.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

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.