—used to express contempt or disapproval or to startle or frighten
plural boos
1
: a shout of disapproval or contempt
2
: any utterance at all
—usually used in negative constructions
never said boo
booed; booing; boos
: to deride especially by uttering a prolonged boo
: to express disapproval of by booing
the crowd booed the referee
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
Jaime LeesThis has left me skeptical of all new relationships—including my new boo.—Griffin Wynne
Griffin WynneSynonyms
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 WebLinda 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
Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
The most annoying downside is that the last-gen Superlight relies on Micro USB for charging (boo), whereas the new model opts for a saner USB-C connector.
—Brandon Widder, The Verge, 27 Mar. 2024
Biden’s supporters tried to drown out the protester with boos, while the President tried to keep the peace.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2024
The silence at least gave the crowd space to bellyache and boo.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2024
But at the Wednesday night school board meeting, he was greeted with boos and chants from angry parents, teachers, and community members in the school district made of up of two elementary schools and one middle school.
—Jenavieve Hatch, Sacramento Bee, 15 Feb. 2024
Malik Monk added 23 points and 10 assists off the bench as the Kings heard boos from their fans throughout the game.
—Ben Ross, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024
After a third warning, Mr. Rey left the ring to a chorus of boos.
—James Wagner Luis Antonio Rojas, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2024
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
Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
The forum begins Rittenhouse took center stage soon after 7 p.m. — with hundreds of protesters booing outside the venue.
—The Courier-Journal, 27 Mar. 2024
When the camera cut to Greene booing Biden and calling him a liar, Moore looked unimpressed.
—Journal Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2024
Halfway through the video, a second person appears on the stage and escorts Swardson to the wings, as the crowd boos.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024
Angels owner Arte Moreno was emphatically booed Friday night when his image ever-so-briefly appeared on the Angel Stadium screen during a highlights video before the team’s home opener against the Boston Red Sox.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Commissioner Werfel opened his speech at American University with a video clip from the Simpsons, in which Homer is heard loudly booing the IRS.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 24 Mar. 2024
Mark Consuelos lit the Live audience's fuse during a hilariously shady round of the fan-favorite Stump Mark trivia game with a firefighter, after the in-studio crowd turned on the actor and booed him on the air.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024
And even got booed off the stage at a competition — for winning!
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
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
That led to some boos from the home crowd at the end of the second period as the Blues retreated to the locker room.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
The most annoying downside is that the last-gen Superlight relies on Micro USB for charging (boo), whereas the new model opts for a saner USB-C connector.
—Brandon Widder, The Verge, 27 Mar. 2024
Biden’s supporters tried to drown out the protester with boos, while the President tried to keep the peace.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2024
The silence at least gave the crowd space to bellyache and boo.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2024
But at the Wednesday night school board meeting, he was greeted with boos and chants from angry parents, teachers, and community members in the school district made of up of two elementary schools and one middle school.
—Jenavieve Hatch, Sacramento Bee, 15 Feb. 2024
Malik Monk added 23 points and 10 assists off the bench as the Kings heard boos from their fans throughout the game.
—Ben Ross, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024
After a third warning, Mr. Rey left the ring to a chorus of boos.
—James Wagner Luis Antonio Rojas, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2024
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
Verb
As the crowd reacted to the mention of the pop superstar by booing, Wallen was quick to shut down their negativity.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
The forum begins Rittenhouse took center stage soon after 7 p.m. — with hundreds of protesters booing outside the venue.
—The Courier-Journal, 27 Mar. 2024
When the camera cut to Greene booing Biden and calling him a liar, Moore looked unimpressed.
—Journal Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2024
Halfway through the video, a second person appears on the stage and escorts Swardson to the wings, as the crowd boos.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024
Angels owner Arte Moreno was emphatically booed Friday night when his image ever-so-briefly appeared on the Angel Stadium screen during a highlights video before the team’s home opener against the Boston Red Sox.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Commissioner Werfel opened his speech at American University with a video clip from the Simpsons, in which Homer is heard loudly booing the IRS.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 24 Mar. 2024
Mark Consuelos lit the Live audience's fuse during a hilariously shady round of the fan-favorite Stump Mark trivia game with a firefighter, after the in-studio crowd turned on the actor and booed him on the air.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024
And even got booed off the stage at a competition — for winning!
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 14 Mar. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near boo
Cite this Entry
“Boo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boo. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share