hoodoo
Americannoun
-
hoodoos
plural
-
Hoodoo. African American folk magic practiced predominantly in the southeastern United States through rituals of protection, herbal medicine, charming of objects, and ancestor veneration.
-
(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)
noun
-
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
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:
Winger Corey Toole is confident the ACT Brumbies have what it takes to snap a 26-year hoodoo against the Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch, drawing inspiration from their drought-breaking victory in Auckland last year.
From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026
Mosaku: I spoke to hoodoo priestesses and that was really my main research, was kind of the faith, because that is who she is.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025
Researching Annie, I had to look back at where I’m from, because she’s a hoodoo priestess and hoodoo is a derivative of Ifa, and Ifa is the traditional Yoruba religion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025
United have some sort of hoodoo over Villa, who have only beaten them in one of their past 26 Premier League meetings - Unai Emery's first game in charge, in November 2022.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025
I must be the only one free of your hoodoo bad luck.”
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
In Norwegian folklore they stand as the nation's great hoodoos, the unexplained phenomena that put the heart sideways in those who have encountered them.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2023
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
The park, known for its crimson-hued hoodoos in southern Utah, will host its annual astronomy festival from Wednesday to Saturday, featuring day and evening events.
From New York Times ● Jun. 14, 2023
The bus crashed a few miles from Bryce Canyon National Park, which is known for its intricately shaped red-rock spires called hoodoos.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2021
But he wuz allays perlite aftah dat, an' he don' say nothin' disrespectfu' 'bout hoodoos an' ha'nts.
From The Cat in Grandfather's House by Carl Henry Grabo
“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
And old Uncle Gloster says, 'Boss, I'm doin' my best, but it looks like somebody's done hoodooed this bell.'
From The Land of Long Ago by Eliza Calvert Hall
"There is such things as hoodooed ships, Miss Bostwick, just like there is hoodooed folks," he said hoarsely, without seeming to notice her shrinking from him and her changed countenance.
From Sheila of Big Wreck Cove A Story of Cape Cod by R. Emmett (Robert Emmett) Owen
Her people laughed and told her she was hoodooed; but next day she was robbed of every jewel she had in the world.
From Life on the Stage by Clara Morris
"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 Clara Louise Burnham
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 Owen Johnson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
