cockatoo

noun

cock·​a·​too ˈkä-kə-ˌtü 

plural cockatoos

: any of various large noisy chiefly Australasian crested parrots (family Cacatuidae and especially genus Cacatua)

Illustration of cockatoo

Examples of cockatoo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Leaves may be flat or wavy or even cylindrical and shaped like tusks, arranged in a configuration like a fan, or maybe a pineapple top or the most emphatic of cockatoo’s crests. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2025

Among the most intriguing of these was a woman with a white cockatoo perched on her shoulder. —New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025

Meanwhile, primeval rainforests murmur with ancient secrets—thick with strangler figs and screeching cockatoos. —Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

However, the cockatoos in the study exhibited considerable variation in their dance movements. —Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Dutch kaketoe, from Malay kakatua

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cockatoo

• amadou
• avenue
• ballyhoo
• baraboo
• barbecue
• barbeque
• bugaboo
• cabildo
• caribou
• detinue
• devalue
• donohue

Kids Definition

cockatoo

noun

cock·​a·​too ˈkäk-ə-ˌtü 

plural cockatoos

: any of various large noisy usually showy chiefly Australasian parrots that have a bunch of feathers on the head