shoo
Americaninterjection
verb (used with object)
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shoos,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shooed,
past participle, past
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shooing
present participle
-
to drive away by saying or shouting “shoo.”
-
to request or force (a person) to leave.
I'll have to shoo you out of here now.
verb (used without object)
-
shoos,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shooed,
past participle, past
-
shooing
present participle
interjection
verb
-
(tr) to drive away by or as if by crying "shoo."
-
(intr) to cry "shoo."
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shoosimple
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shoossimple
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have shooedperfect
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has shooedperfect
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am shooingprogressive
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are shooingprogressive
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is shooingprogressive
-
have been shooingperfect progressive
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has been shooingperfect progressive
Past
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shooedsimple
-
had shooedperfect
-
was shooingprogressive
-
were shooingprogressive
-
had been shooingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
Numerous attempts to shoo them away, including Sampras batting his racquet at them, failed, and the match had to be suspended.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
He notes that security guards will often shoo you off if you use a tripod without advance approval, so it’s best to bring a handheld camera instead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
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
A waitress told Hannah the pigeon had been inside the pub but people had been kicking her, so the waitress had to shoo the pigeon out to protect it.
From BBC ● May 25, 2024
Jon wriggled an arm out from under his blankets to shoo the raven off.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Chewbacca shoos the Porgs away so he can eat in peace.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2024
She shoos the thoughts away, like mosquitoes at dusk.
From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2021
The guard occasionally shoos patrons away because it's a restricted area.
From Golf Digest ● Apr. 8, 2019
He shoos his children into the house to do their homework just before his “bros” arrive.
From The Guardian ● May 19, 2018
Servants push in breakfast carts overflowing with hard-boiled eggs, grilled-meat and fruit tarts, pastries, fried bacon, and sweet toast, but Ivy shoos them out, then races to Elisabeth's office door.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
I was shooed away by uniformed Secret Service agents.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
The man disappeared around a corner as security guards shooed the lawyer back to another room.
From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2025
Two officers arrived a short time later and shooed the owl away by shining a flashlight in its eyes, Aaron said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 3, 2024
The news crew had tried to appeal to Boonyarin by saying they had to fly back to Bangkok that night, but she shooed them off.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2023
Leo shooed them away as if they were bothering him.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
For over a month, the large, antlered visitor to Goodman Mountain has resisted all attempts at shooing him away or relocating him.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2025
Generally, the person who invited you to the party is responsible for connecting unfamiliar folks, but sometimes your host is uncorking bottles and shooing away mynah birds.
From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2023
"Has nobody been on the shooing course. I cannot believe you closed the entire Elizabeth line for a swan on the tracks," they added.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2023
A few minutes after the Mercury won the tip, Griner ran down the floor and erased a shot from a Sparks player off the glass like a giant shooing a gnat.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2023
She’s shooing me out so she can keep up her charade, so twisted it’s like kudzu.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
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.
