hoodoo
Americannoun
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Hoodoo. African American folk magic practiced predominantly in the southeastern United States through rituals of protection, herbal medicine, charming of objects, and ancestor veneration.
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(in popular culture) bad luck, or a person or thing that brings bad luck.
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Geology. a pillar of rock, usually of fantastic shape, left by erosion.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a variant of voodoo
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informal a person or thing that brings bad luck
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informal bad luck
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(in the western US and Canada) a strangely shaped column of rock
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of hoodoo
An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; apparently a variant of Voodoo
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.
See Examples For:
You suspect even the watching Ant and Dec did not necessarily envisage that hoodoo ending on Saturday.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
James Slipper scored a try in his 200th Super Rugby match as the ACT Brumbies broke a 26-year hoodoo on Sunday with a 50-24 hammering of the Canterbury Crusaders.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
Steve Harmison, a former Ashes-winning fast bowler for England, believes Root is on course to end his hoodoo.
From Barron's ● Nov. 16, 2025
Seven times in five Tests Broad got Warner, part of an overall hoodoo of 17 dismissals.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2025
So feel I. Living in the Congo shakes open the prison house of my disposition and lets all the wicked hoodoo Adahs run forth.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Hikes into the mountains bring you winter views of the hoodoos, a distinct landmark of the Columbia Valley.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 23, 2024
By the time we made it to Black Canyon of the Gunnison, we were pretty excited to see something other than the hoodoos and arches that we were starting to take for granted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2023
Southgate says England, a nation looking to reach a first final for 55 years, have dealt with a number of "hoodoos" already during the tournament.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2021
Drivers must pay the $35 entrance fee to motor down the 26-mile stretch that passes by hoodoos, slot canyons and ombre-colored mesas.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 15, 2021
The laughing acquiescence of the present in hoodoos, mascots and lucky objects cannot be traced back to the credulity of any one individual.
From The Next Step in Religion An Essay toward the Coming Renaissance by Sellars, Roy Wood
“He got hoodooed by this guy. He’s worth $16 billion. He’s obviously hoodooed a few people here and there. He took our governor for a ride,” Harpootlian said.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2022
His explanation: he was being hoodooed by a radio announcer.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Dey's hoodooed," said Uncle Jonah, shaking his head.
From The Cat in Grandfather's House by Grabo, Carl Henry
"This island is hoodooed, I've half a mind to believe."
From Doubloons—and the Girl by Forbes, John Maxwell
Thinks he owns the earth and sea, as well as this hoodooed tub of a schooner.
From Sheila of Big Wreck Cove A Story of Cape Cod by Owen, R. Emmett (Robert Emmett)
"I won't be any longer than I can help, and don't you go to hoodooing me, now, while I'm upstairs."
From Jewel by Burnham, Clara Louise
Do you realize what a start like this—three twos—would mean to a professional like Frank or even an amateur that hadn't offended every busy little fate and fury in the whole hoodooing business?
From Murder in Any Degree by Johnson, Owen
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.
