boo-hoo

verb

bü-ˈhü 

ˈbü-ˌhü

variants or boohoo or less commonly boo hoo

boo-hooed or boohooed; boo-hooing or boohooing

intransitive verb

: to weep loudly and with sobs

… even the impeccable Lord Jeffrey … confessed to having cried—blubbered, boohooed, snuffled, and sighed …

—Tom Wolfe

Joey kept boo-hooing like a real idiot.

—Christopher Paul Curtis

—often used as an interjection especially in mocking imitation of another's tears, complaints, unhappiness, etc.

… one twin and then the other began to cry. "Boohoo, boohoo," Ernie mocked.

—Nancy Smiler Levinson

He said as long as I was being so pure, why not give her the real scoop on her old man? I said because it would crush her. Boo hoo, he said.

—George Saunders

boo-hoo noun

or boohoo

plural boo-hoos or boohoos

… the tough Garden crowd reacted with boos instead of boo-hoos.

—Richard Johnson

boo-hooing noun

or boohooing

"Woman: cease this detestable boohooing instantly; or else seek the shelter of some other place of worship."

—George Bernard Shaw

No one feels good after being dumped. The loudest boo-hooing seems to be coming from young people …

—Jane Bryant Quinn

Examples of boo-hoo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Charles City Elementary also held its annual boo-hoo breakfast for parents. — Jonaki Mehta, NPR, 7 Sep. 2026

There’s no boo-hoo crying over it. — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 27 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

imitative

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for boo-hoo

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou