coot

noun \ ˈküt \

|Updated on: 28 Jun 2018

Definition of coot

1 : any of various slaty-black birds (genus Fulica) of the rail family that somewhat resemble ducks and have lobed toes and the upper mandible prolonged on the forehead as a horny frontal shield

2 : any of several North American scoters

3 : a harmless simple person; broadly : fellow 4c

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Examples of coot in a Sentence

Don't mind him—he's just a crazy old coot.

Recent Examples of coot from the Web

Her old coot of a husband doddered over to see what the trouble was.

— george saunders, The New Yorker, "Little St. Don," 19 Feb. 2016
At the edge of the property is a pond where swans, mallards and coots paddle around.

— pete wells, New York Times, "The New Noma: Frequently Asked Questions," 24 Apr. 2018
The movie gives us just enough horny youngsters, references to pot, and old coots with grudges to fill screen time until the special-effects guys go to work.

— john defore, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Attack of the Southern Fried Zombies': Film Review," 24 Mar. 2018
Eagles prey on American coots, which dine almost exclusively on hydrilla, the Post reported.

— joe marusak, charlotteobserver, "Invasive weed known as ‘serial killer of eagles’ back in Lake Norman | Charlotte Observer," 15 Feb. 2018
On a recent cool morning here, mallards flew overhead, pelicans swam on the lake, coots picked bugs out of the mud, and a lone doe sauntered through tall grass.

— adam popescu, New York Times, "‘These Eagles Are More Than Just a Symbol’," 20 Mar. 2018
Dern plays crusty old coots as well as anyone in the business, but the background on his lonely golden years is unexplored.

— colin covert, Detroit Free Press, "Review: ‘Nostalgia’ is a sentimental mess," 1 Mar. 2018
Robert Forster is outstanding as the grizzled old coot.

— todd mccarthy, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Damsel': Film Review | Sundance 2018," 24 Jan. 2018
Waterfowl, including great egrets and American coots, are finding the changes to their liking.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Amid drawdown, fishery closure proposed for Little Muskego Lake," 11 Oct. 2017

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