shoo
Americaninterjection
verb (used with object)
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to drive away by saying or shouting “shoo.”
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to request or force (a person) to leave.
I'll have to shoo you out of here now.
verb (used without object)
interjection
verb
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(tr) to drive away by or as if by crying "shoo."
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(intr) to cry "shoo."
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have shooedperfect
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has shooedperfect 3rd person singular
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is shooingprogressive 3rd person singular
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shoossingular 3rd person
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are shooingprogressive
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have been shooingperfect progressive
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am shooingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been shooingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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shooingparticiple
Past
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had shooedperfect
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had been shooingperfect progressive
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shooedsimple
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were shooingprogressive plural
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was shooingprogressive singular
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shooedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of shoo
1475–85; earlier showe, shough, shooh, ssou (interjection), imitative; compare German schu
Vocabulary lists containing shoo
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.
Harbor staff try to ease them along to the 42 floats built to accommodate the creatures and they use big wooden panels, called herding boards, to gently shoo them away from the boat docks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026
In some cases, residents have tried to shoo away dogs from feeding spots to discourage people from providing them food.
From BBC • Sep. 2, 2025
It had been spooked by neighbors who were making noise to shoo it away.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2025
Tillman has enough arrogance to shoo the agents away, but Ole Munch and Dot herself are still in the wind, which makes him a target, too.
From New York Times • Nov. 22, 2023
I would sometimes steal a bite of the sweet, soft mixture, and my mom would shoo me away.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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.
