1
as in lunatics
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
one cuckoo at the campground tried to boil soup in a plastic cup
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in geese
a silly flighty person
didn't want to be among those cuckoos who race around the mall the day before Christmas
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cuckoos
Canada geese are protected, as well as most other geese, swans, ducks, cranes, cuckoos, hummingbirds, doves and flamingos.
—
Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 27 Jan. 2026
Brood parasites such as cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, tricking the hosts into caring for their offspring at the expense of their own.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 27 Jan. 2026
Brood parasites such as cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, tricking the hosts into caring for their offspring at the expense of their own.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cuckoos
Noun
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Even then, though, the popular take — the story of the lunatics taking over asylum — didn’t sit right with me.—
Paul Fischer,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Beating these lunatics was incredible, right?—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The most significant wild bird flu response happened this winter, back in December and January, when about 2,000 birds — most of which were snow geese — were found dead in a Northampton County quarry.—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
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Hundreds of geese have reportedly died in New Jersey, and bird flu is suspected to be the culprit.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Arsenal would be fools to adopt a different approach as long as nothing changes.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
April 1, because this cast is full of fools.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The devices, Tisch said at a Saturday news conference, were smaller than a football and appeared to be a jar wrapped in black tape that contained nuts, bolts, and screws, along with a hobby fuse that could be lit.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
9 Mar. 2026
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The devices were wrapped in black tape with nuts, bolts and screws, as well as a fuse.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Those idiots are the primary reason Trump is president, while Kamala Harris, who condemns the military success like most of her fellow Democratic politicos, can’t even get traction in peddling her sour-grapes-loser book.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
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His strict and meticulous methodologies taught some of the smartest people on the planet how to behave like complete idiots, paving the way for a new generation of red-nosed fools to pratfall onto the stage.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cuckoos.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cuckoos. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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