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 sense 4c
Examples of coot in a Sentence
Don't mind him—he's just a crazy old coot.
Recent Examples on the Web
The logger and railsplitter occasionally encounters American eccentrics, like a chatty drifter prone to sporting bible verses and an old coot of a demolitions expert with a philosophical bent.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2025
With an irreverent impudence, generous sprinkles of slap stick and traditional wrapping, this breezy presentation should tickle the funny bones of grade school kids as well as us older coots who enjoy Tim Allen’s acerbic antics.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025
The second connection is that for as much as Kim Wexler would have in common with Carol Struka, Carol at this moment seems even closer to Everett Acker, the cranky old coot who refused to leave his home in Better Call Saul.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Duck, coot, merganser: Nov. 22-Dec. 1, Dec. 10-23, Dec. 27-Jan. 1 statewide.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coot
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2025
With an irreverent impudence, generous sprinkles of slap stick and traditional wrapping, this breezy presentation should tickle the funny bones of grade school kids as well as us older coots who enjoy Tim Allen’s acerbic antics.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025
The second connection is that for as much as Kim Wexler would have in common with Carol Struka, Carol at this moment seems even closer to Everett Acker, the cranky old coot who refused to leave his home in Better Call Saul.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Duck, coot, merganser: Nov. 22-Dec. 1, Dec. 10-23, Dec. 27-Jan. 1 statewide.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coot
Cite this Entry
“Coot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coot. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coot
noun1
: a slaty-black bird of the rail family that somewhat resembles a duck
2
: any of several North American scoters
3
: a harmless simple person
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share