Definition of shoo
—used especially in driving away an unwanted animal
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Origin and Etymology of shoo
Middle English schowe
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 15th century
in the meaning defined above
See Words from the same yearDefinition of shoo
shooed;
shooing;
shoos
: to scare, drive, or send away by or as if by crying shoo
- shooed us away from the kitchen
Examples of shoo in a Sentence
We tried to help her, but she shooed us away.
He shooed the cat out of the house.
Recent Examples of shoo from the Web
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Al’s wife, Dorothea, went on alert, ready to shoo the deer away from eating her flowers and plants.
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The secretary exited the restaurant shortly after the demonstrators were shooed out by police, according to the Democratic Socialists.
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The young men from Argentina, who had met on a work-and-travel program in Australia, brought their own wine and snacks to the dining car and were promptly shooed out by the waitress, who then asked if all Americans were that rude.
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The officers shot it with a bean bag to shoo it away.
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Williams said personal pet owners should not try to use their own dogs to shoo away the water fowl, as injuring a bird can result in a hefty fine.
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In the 1964 Olympics, Tokyo shooed away its organized criminals, or yakuza.
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Stadium personnel first tried to shoo the goose, which had visited right field during the second rain delay.
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But before most guests even finished their Rye-on-the-Road craft cocktails, they were shooed into the dinner program — this was a party with purpose.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shoo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of shoo
circa 1798
SHOO Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of shoo for English Language Learners
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—used when repeatedly moving your hand away from you in a short motion with your fingers down to tell an animal or person to leave
SHOO Defined for Kids
verb
\
ˈshü
\
Definition of shoo for Students
shooed;
shooing
: to wave, scare, or send away
- She shooed us out of the kitchen.
Hint:
Shoo is often used as a command.
- Shoo! Go outside.
Learn More about shoo
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See words that rhyme with shoo Spanish Central: Translation of shoo
Seen and Heard
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