Illustration of dodo
- dodo 1a
plural dodoes or dodos
1
a
: an extinct heavy flightless bird (Raphus cucullatus synonym Didus ineptus of the family Columbidae) of the island of Mauritius that was larger than a turkey and was related to the pigeon
b
: an extinct flightless bird (Raphus solitarius) of the island of Réunion similar to and closely related to the dodo
2
a
: one hopelessly behind the times
b
: a stupid person
Examples of dodo in a Sentence
That dodo can't do anything right.
I feel like a complete dodo.
Recent Examples on the Web
Since then, the private company, valued at about $10 billion, according to Bloomberg, has expanded its plans to include the de-extinction of the Australian thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) and the dodo.
—
Mike Snider, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
One criminal marketplace, however, has remained as dead as a dodo for the last nine years, with no activity of any sort observed by dark web threat intelligence analysts.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
In fact, on that album, Guyton often relies on the rarest dodo on all of Music Row: an all-women writers’ room.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
In addition to bringing back the dire wolf, other Colossal projects focus on bringing back the woolly mammoth, thylacine and dodo, all of which have been extinct for hundreds to thousands of years.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dodo
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.
Mike Snider, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
One criminal marketplace, however, has remained as dead as a dodo for the last nine years, with no activity of any sort observed by dark web threat intelligence analysts.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
In fact, on that album, Guyton often relies on the rarest dodo on all of Music Row: an all-women writers’ room.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
In addition to bringing back the dire wolf, other Colossal projects focus on bringing back the woolly mammoth, thylacine and dodo, all of which have been extinct for hundreds to thousands of years.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dodo
Cite this Entry
“Dodo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dodo. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dodo
noun
do·do
ˈdōd-ō 
plural dodoes or dodos
1
: a large heavy flightless extinct bird related to the pigeons and formerly found on some of the islands of the Indian Ocean
2
a
: a person who is hopelessly behind the times
b
: a stupid person
Etymology
from Portuguese doudo, name given by Portuguese sailors to the bird, from doudo (adjective) "silly, stupid"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share