boo

1 of 4

interjection

used to express contempt or disapproval or to startle or frighten

boo

2 of 4

noun (1)

plural boos
1
: a shout of disapproval or contempt
2
: any utterance at all
usually used in negative constructions
never said boo

boo

3 of 4

verb

booed; booing; boos

intransitive verb

: to deride especially by uttering a prolonged boo

transitive verb

: to express disapproval of by booing
the crowd booed the referee

boo

4 of 4

noun (2)

plural boos
US slang
: a romantic partner : sweetheart, honey
Your parents might keep a sharp eye on potential partners and your besties may lay down difficult "friend tests," but only one real opinion on your new boo truly matters: what your dog thinks of them.Jaime Lees
This has left me skeptical of all new relationships—including my new boo.Griffin Wynne

Examples of boo in a Sentence

Noun (1) A chorus of boos was heard after the shot missed the goal. The announcement was greeted by a mixture of boos and cheers. Verb Many people in the crowd booed when the announcement was made. Many people in the crowd booed the announcement, but a few people cheered it.
Recent Examples on the Web
Interjection
Highlights include a costume parade (for kids and parents), a Purim story and boo Haman and songs. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024 Volunteer yourself to help with X, Y and Z accommodations if that lightens the family’s workload, without saying boo about the couple’s choices. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024 C’mon, when the day began the Dodgers were in third place in the standings, but led the league in pitching and led all of baseball in run differential and … boo! Bill Plaschke, latimes.com, 25 May 2017
Noun
There were definitely some not-Swifties in the crowd; boos rang out in San Jose when the camera cut to the superstar, watching the game with friends in a luxury box. Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024 Slide to see my homemade coloring book creation that started this work of art colored in by my lil boo. Jamie Ballard, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2024 To begin with he was greeted by a rather loud chorus of boos during the opening ceremony. Damian Dottore, Orange County Register, 28 Jan. 2024 The statement was met with boos from protesters at the back of the room, largely made up of members of the United Campus Workers Arizona calling for attention to UA’s ongoing financial stressors and pending legislation affecting higher education. The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024 The Associated Press reported he was met there with boos. Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 18 Feb. 2024 Will he be blown off the stage by a blizzard of angry boos? Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 6 Feb. 2024 Don’t vote, boo: New Hampshire officials are investigating a robocall that appears to feature an artificial intelligence impersonation of President Joe Biden telling Democrats not to vote in New Hampshire’s primary. Ben Kamisar, NBC News, 23 Jan. 2024 Alpine Amour in Switzerland Cozy up to your boo at the design-forward boutique 7132 Hotel in the mountain village of Vals. Devorah Lev-Tov, Robb Report, 13 Feb. 2024
Verb
In the city of Rasht in northern Iran, a crowd booed security officers who drove by in motorcycles, videos showed. Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Those folks sure seem bullish on artificial intelligence, and the audiences at the Paramount — many of whom are likely writers and actors who just spent much of 2023 on the picket line trying to reign in the potentially destructive power of AI — decided to boo the video. Michael Schneider, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024 The Beastie Boys were an unlikely choice for the opening slot, resulting in a lot of booing crowds and overwhelmingly negative press. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2024 Consuelos guessed the latter option, which turned out to be the correct choice, and the audience promptly booed him. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 Dominik Mysterio spoke briefly in the opening segment, and as always, he was booed out of the building. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Messi, David Beckham booed during as Inter Miami in Hong Kong Fans became restless in Inter Miami’s 4-1 win over a group of Hong Kong All-Stars as the second half lingered and Messi continued to watch from the bench in Inter Miami clothes. Safid Deen, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 As soon as Rodriguez attacked the heel Stratton, fans booed. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 Though there was some booing for the reigning Super Bowl champs (the Chiefs bested the Philadelphia Eagles in last year’s big game), there was still plenty of classic chanting as well. Alex Ross, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'boo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Interjection

expressive formation; the voiced labial release and high vowel presumably heighten the suddenness of the utterance

Noun (1)

derivative of boo entry 1

Verb

derivative of boo entry 2

Noun (2)

of uncertain origin

Note: Perhaps ultimately a hypocoristic reduction of brother, applied to unrelated males, but the details are unclear.

First Known Use

Interjection

1639, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1884, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1833, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

1988, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of boo was in 1639

Dictionary Entries Near boo

Cite this Entry

“Boo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boo. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

boo

1 of 2 interjection
used to express contempt or disapproval or to startle or frighten

boo

2 of 2 noun
plural boos
1
: a shout of disapproval or contempt
2
: any sound at all
never said boo
boo verb

More from Merriam-Webster on boo

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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