Showing results for "cooing"

• present participle of coo.

cooing

American  

[koo-ing] / ˈku ɪŋ /

noun

1. an act or instance of uttering or imitating the soft murmuring sound characteristic of doves.

   Jim recognized the sound as the cooing of a pigeon, although some of us thought it was an owl.

2. the act of murmuring or talking fondly or admiringly.

   I’m no fan of fancy goodies—not for me the cooing over iced Halloween cupcakes topped with fondant pumpkins.

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adjective

1. making the sound characteristic of doves.

   Since February, the lake has come alive again with a few pairs of mallards and a cooing eider duck.

2. murmuring or talking fondly or admiringly.

   Strolling on the boardwalk were cooing couples, briefcase-toting executives, and chattering children with their nannies.

Other Word Forms

• cooingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of cooing

First recorded in 1660–70; coo ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; coo ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cooing

A furry AI pet batted its eyelashes at cooing onlookers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

One brother does the firing, the other waves goodbye, cooing, “We hope we can still be friends who never speak to each other.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

“Nah,” I thought, as I watched the cooing baby in my arms.

From Salon ● Dec. 3, 2025

"You have to think a lot before having a baby," Valentina Dottor admits when we meet on Fregona's main square, her 10-month-old daughter Diletta cooing in a pushchair.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025

The chimney pots on the roofs...and on some, the shadowing looming of pigeon cotes...sometimes, faintly heard, the sleepy cooing of pigeons...the twin spires of the Church, remotely brooding over the dark tenements ….

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Related Words

• murmur