This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
hoodoo
[ hoo-doo ]
/ ˈhu du /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun, plural hoo·doos.
Hoodoo. African American folk magic practiced predominantly in the southeastern United States through rituals of protection, herbal medicine, charming of objects, and ancestor veneration.Compare Vodou, Voodoo (def. 1).
(in popular culture) bad luck, or a person or thing that brings bad luck.
Geology. a pillar of rock, usually of fantastic shape, left by erosion.
verb (used with object), hoo·dooed, hoo·doo·ing.
(in popular culture) to bring or cause bad luck to.
QUIZ
ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?
We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Question 1 of 8
Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Origin of hoodoo
An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; apparently a variant of Voodoo
Words nearby hoodoo
hoodie, hoodlum, hoodman-blind, hood molding, hood mould, hoodoo, Hoodooism, hood rat, hoodwink, hoodwinked, hooey
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use hoodoo in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for hoodoo
hoodoo
/ (ˈhuːduː) /
noun plural -doos
a variant of voodoo
informal a person or thing that brings bad luck
informal bad luck
(in the western US and Canada) a strangely shaped column of rock
verb -doos, -dooing or -dooed
(tr) informal to bring bad luck to
Derived forms of hoodoo
hoodooism, nounWord Origin for hoodoo
C19: variant of voodoo
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