coo

verb

\ ˈkü

cooed; cooing; coos

Definition of coo

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to make the low soft cry of a dove or pigeon or a similar sound The baby cooed quietly in her crib.

2 : to talk fondly, amorously, or appreciatively The family cooed over the baby pictures.

COO

abbreviation

Definition of COO (Entry 2 of 2)

chief operating officer

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Examples of coo in a Sentence

Verb

The baby cooed quietly in her crib. The baby was making a cooing sound. They all cooed over the baby pictures. “Oh, how sweet,” she cooed.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

When a parent responds to a baby’s coos or cries by picking them up or playing peak-a-boo with them for example, the back-and-forth helps build the baby’s brain architecture, which is later tied to children’s learning, behavior, and health outcomes. — Annabelle Timsit, Quartz, "Smartphones are disrupting the crucial connections between parents and their babies," 31 July 2019 Tiny, ceramic doves hitched a ride under his radio, which was no match for the soundtrack of cooing pigeon cargo. — Elizabeth Hernandez, The Denver Post, "“They’re my angels”: Colorado man looks to flock of homing pigeons as personal and professional salvation," 24 July 2019 Hywood—a fiery, compact woman prone to alternating between cooing lullabies to her rescues and vociferously condemning the cruelty of man—has rescued more than 180 pangolins since 2012. — Paul Hilton, National Geographic, "Poaching is sending the shy, elusive pangolin to its doom," 17 June 2019 Wolfe Herd coos in awe but knows better than to pose for a photo with them. — Chloe Malle, Vogue, "Inside Dating-App Bumble’s Bid For Global Domination," 18 Apr. 2019 Their youngest, 10-month-old Prince Louis, coos in the background in a high chair. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince William Reportedly Learned to Style Princess Charlotte's Hair from YouTube Tutorials," 6 Mar. 2019 After the whiny young protagonist bulks up and punches out a black man who bullied him, beachgoers in bikinis coo and pat his biceps. — Shaila Dewan, New York Times, "Three New Books Illuminate the Rise of Violent White Extremism," 11 May 2018 What begins as a faux feel-good Super Bowl ad complete with smiling Wives and cooing newborns turns grim. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Handmaid's Tale Season 3 Trailer Dropped During the Super Bowl," 4 Feb. 2019 Take a cinematic cruise down the long flat farm roads, cooing at highland cattle and relaxed quarter horses or stop to collect a local farmer’s bounty in exchange for a few dollars in the honor system jar. — Kaitlyn Wylde, Vogue, "What’s So Great About Great Barrington? A Weekend Guide to the Quietly Cool Berkshire Town," 25 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

12 Aug 2019

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Time Traveler for coo

The first known use of coo was in 1577

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More Definitions for coo

COO

abbreviation

Financial Definition of COO

What It Is

The chief operating officer (COO) is responsible for executing and implementing the operational directives set by the CEO and the board of directors. Whereas the CEO is responsible for the overall leadership of the company, the COO is responsible for the day-to-day execution.

How It Works

The COO works for the CEO. Often, the board of directors has a role in the selection of the COO. The COO is often viewed as the CEO's second in command.

There is a lot of variety in the COO's job across industries and companies, but in general the COO oversees a company's operations on a more detailed basis than the CEO. The COO also translates the board's and the CEO's strategic objectives into executable plans.

For example, if one of the company's objectives is to increase customer satisfaction, the COO works with the appropriate departments to execute the plan and devises ways to measure and control the progress. The COO then monitors those measurements over time, advises the CEO and board on certain issues and reports back to the CEO on the status of the progress toward the strategic goal.

If companies were ships, the CEO would be the captain, deciding where the ship is going and standing on deck to ensure things were moving in the right direction. The COO would be below deck making sure everyone is rowing in the right direction, measuring resource levels, making sure everybody understood what to do and calculating how long it should be until the ship reached its destination.

Why It Matters

COOs are behind-the-scenes people with a lot of responsibility. They are "go-to" people who are critical to effective organizations. The best COOs work with the culture of the organization to get things done according to its strategic vision and the directives set forth by the CEO.

It is very important that the COO is able to trust and work well with the CEO and CFO. The COO must be able to persuade and motivate people toward action; must be able to manage a wide range of departments; and must be able to do so within financial constraints.

Source: Investing Answers

coo

verb