coo
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The murmuring sound made by a dove or pigeon.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kooIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈku
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The murmuring sound made by a dove or pigeon.
by extension
An expression of pleasure made by a person.
A corporate officer of a corporation, company, or agency, responsible for executing decisions of the chief executive officer (CEO) according to their decided schedule.
verb
ambitransitive
To make a soft murmuring sound, as a pigeon.
intransitive
To speak in an admiring fashion, to be enthusiastic about.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The murmuring sound made by a dove or pigeon.
Used this way, coo is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use coo
- “The mother who held her baby was cooing softly.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “coo” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.