Illustration of cuckoo
- cuckoo 1
plural cuckoos
1
: a largely grayish-brown European bird (Cuculus canorus) that is a parasite given to laying its eggs in the nests of other birds which hatch them and rear the offspring
broadly
: any of a large family (Cuculidae of the order Cuculiformes) to which this bird belongs
2
: the call of the cuckoo
3
: a silly or slightly crackbrained person
cuckooed; cuckooing; cuckoos
: to repeat monotonously as a cuckoo does its call
1
: of, relating to, or resembling the cuckoo
2
: deficient in sense or intelligence : silly
Did you know?
The cuckoo bird is so named for its one-note song, which in Middle English was represented as cuccu in imitation. Figurative use of cuckoo, which exists as an adjective meaning "crazy" or "weak in intellect or common sense," and as a noun for a person who can be described as such, may be an allusion to the bird's eponymous (and monotonous) call. But it may also be inspired by a peculiar habit exhibited by some species, in which a female will lay her eggs in the nest of another bird, to be hatched by that bird. In Old French, the name of the bird, cucu, also refers to a husband whose wife is unfaithful. That sense is believed to come from the female cuckoo bird's habit in some species of changing mates, or to the same egg-laying habit that influenced English figurative use. Cucu is also the source of English cuckold.
Examples of cuckoo in a Sentence
Noun
one cuckoo at the campground tried to boil soup in a plastic cup
didn't want to be among those cuckoos who race around the mall the day before Christmas
Adjective
a cuckoo woman who wandered around town carefully gathering up useless trash
offered a completely cuckoo suggestion for using the defunct strip mall
Recent Examples on the Web
Jordan Michelman, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
The Real Housewives’ theme — no matter the franchise — gives us a wink of cuckoo calm before the storm.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 13 July 2025
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 20 May 2024
Could this be some version of cat and mouse, or canine and cuckoo?
—Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2023
Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
Nick Offerman is also featured in the trailer as a cuckoo survivalist.
—Vulture, 3 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for cuckoo
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Noun
The ritual floats on, coming around each summer like the willow warbler or the common cuckoo.
—Jordan Michelman, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
The Real Housewives’ theme — no matter the franchise — gives us a wink of cuckoo calm before the storm.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 13 July 2025
Verb
Opinions are divided on whether Cuckoo is too absurd for its own good, but horror fans looking for a few scares in late August would be, well, cuckoo not to decide for themselves.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 20 May 2024
Could this be some version of cat and mouse, or canine and cuckoo?
—Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2023
Adjective
Design is contemporary with bare concrete ceilings, wooden floors and vintage furniture, as well as fun touches like cuckoo clocks and dartboards in some of the 95 guestrooms.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
Nick Offerman is also featured in the trailer as a cuckoo survivalist.
—Vulture, 3 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for cuckoo
Cite this Entry
“Cuckoo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cuckoo. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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