coo

Everyday

1. (verb) For a pigeon or dove to make its soft, low, round sound. tree →
2. (verb) To speak softly and lovingly, as people do to babies: «She cooed over the baby.» tree →
3. (noun) The soft sound a dove makes, or a baby's happy sound. tree →
4. (UK, old-fashioned, informal) «Coo!» — an exclamation of surprise, like «Wow!» tree →

In the lessons

In nature lessons, pigeons and doves coo; babies coo before they learn to talk. In stories, adults «coo over» babies, puppies and kittens, showing tenderness. Phrases: «coo over», «bill and coo» (old-fashioned: for lovers to kiss and whisper).

Examples

• The pigeons cooed on the roof all morning. tree →
• The baby cooed and kicked her legs. tree →
• Aunt Sally cooed over the new kittens. tree →
• We heard the soft coo of a dove in the garden. tree →
• "Who's a lovely boy?" cooed Nan to the puppy. tree →
• Coo, look at the size of that cake! tree →
• The doves were cooing in the church tower. tree →
• She looked round and cooed: “How thoughtful of you. tree →

Note

Regular verb: cooed, cooing. Sounds like «coup» (a sudden seizure of power — the P is silent) — a homophone. Do not mix up with «cue». Animal sounds: doves coo, owls hoot, crows caw.