What does "coo" mean?
The murmuring sound made by a dove or pigeon.
Coo
/kuː/ adj, intj, noun, verb, slang
adj, intj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The murmuring sound made by a dove or pigeon.
- Grammar: coo is listed as adj, intj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: affectionate utterance, aspirate, babble, babytalk.
- Useful contrasts: harsh remark, roar, rude remark.
- Usage evidence: I cannot coo like a pigeon. I'm a hawk.
How to use "coo"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "coo" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "coo" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "coo" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "coo" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "coo" is acting as adj, intj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "affectionate utterance" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "coo", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The murmuring sound made by a dove or pigeon.
"The male [ring dove] will continue nest-coos for 3–4 days until his female partner begins to nest-coo. At that point the male's nest-coo begins to become less frequent[…]."
- 2 Initialism of chief operating officer. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
"Atsme similarly protested when editors sought to portray Trump as racist by referring to a reconstructed and uncorroborated conversation in a book by a former COO at one of Trump’s companies, which attributes to Trump defamatory and racist remarks against black people."
- 3 the sound made by a pigeon wordnet
- 4 An expression of pleasure made by a person. broadly
"An infant has only cries and coos with which to communicate distress and well-being. Adults have many more ways of expressing themselves. However, their expressions of disease and ease can be boiled down to sophisticated cries and coos. A call for help in whatever form is a cry. A sense of well-being however expressed is a coo. Healing in the context of cries and coos can be viewed as the process of resolving the cries and fostering the coos."
- 5 Initialism of country of origin. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Verb
- 1 To make a soft murmuring sound, as a pigeon. ambitransitive
"No birds, except as birds of paſſage, flew, / No bee was known to hum, no dove to coo."
- 2 cry softly, as of pigeons wordnet
- 3 To speak in an admiring fashion, to be enthusiastic about. intransitive
"They were too busy cooing over the baby and his parents were too busy cooing over each other."
- 4 speak softly or lovingly wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Cool. slang
Intj
- 1 An expression of approval, fright, surprise, etc.
"I stood outside the door for a space, letting "I dare not" wait upon "I would", as Jeeves tells me cats do in adages, then turned the handle softly, pushed – also softly – and, carrying on into the interior, found myself confronted by a girl in housemaid's costume who put a hand to her throat like somebody in a play and leaped several inches in the direction of the ceiling. "Coo!" she said, having returned to terra firma and taken aboard a spot of breath. "You gave me a start, sir!" […] "If you cast an eye on him, you will see that he's asleep now." "Coo! So he is.""
Example
"I cannot coo like a pigeon. I'm a hawk."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "coo"?
Common synonyms include: affectionate utterance, aspirate, babble, babytalk, bark, bawl.
How do you use "coo" in a sentence?
I cannot coo like a pigeon. I'm a hawk.
How do you pronounce "coo"?
Pronounced /kuː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Onomatopoeic; compare Dutch koeren.
Etymology 2
Clipping of cool; compare foo.
Etymology 3
Imitative.