—used to express contempt or disapproval or to startle or frighten
plural boos
1
: a shout of disapproval or contempt
2
: any utterance at all
—usually used in negative constructions
never said boo
booed; booing; boos
: to deride especially by uttering a prolonged boo
: to express disapproval of by booing
the crowd booed the referee
plural boos
US slang
: a romantic partner : sweetheart, honey
Your parents might keep a sharp eye on potential partners and your besties may lay down difficult "friend tests," but only one real opinion on your new boo truly matters: what your dog thinks of them.—
Jaime Lees
Jaime LeesThis has left me skeptical of all new relationships—including my new boo.—Griffin Wynne
Griffin WynneSynonyms
Examples of boo in a Sentence
Noun (1)
A chorus of boos was heard after the shot missed the goal.
The announcement was greeted by a mixture of boos and cheers.
Verb
Many people in the crowd booed when the announcement was made.
Many people in the crowd booed the announcement, but a few people cheered it.
Recent Examples on the WebLinda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024
Volunteer yourself to help with X, Y and Z accommodations if that lightens the family’s workload, without saying boo about the couple’s choices.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024
C’mon, when the day began the Dodgers were in third place in the standings, but led the league in pitching and led all of baseball in run differential and … boo!
—Bill Plaschke, latimes.com, 25 May 2017
Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2024
But at the Wednesday night school board meeting, he was greeted with boos and chants from angry parents, teachers, and community members in the school district made of up of two elementary schools and one middle school.
—Jenavieve Hatch, Sacramento Bee, 15 Feb. 2024
Malik Monk added 23 points and 10 assists off the bench as the Kings heard boos from their fans throughout the game.
—Ben Ross, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024
After a third warning, Mr. Rey left the ring to a chorus of boos.
—James Wagner Luis Antonio Rojas, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2024
There were definitely some not-Swifties in the crowd; boos rang out in San Jose when the camera cut to the superstar, watching the game with friends in a luxury box.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024
Slide to see my homemade coloring book creation that started this work of art colored in by my lil boo.
—Jamie Ballard, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2024
To begin with he was greeted by a rather loud chorus of boos during the opening ceremony.
—Damian Dottore, Orange County Register, 28 Jan. 2024
The statement was met with boos from protesters at the back of the room, largely made up of members of the United Campus Workers Arizona calling for attention to UA’s ongoing financial stressors and pending legislation affecting higher education.
—The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024
Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Commissioner Werfel opened his speech at American University with a video clip from the Simpsons, in which Homer is heard loudly booing the IRS.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 24 Mar. 2024
Mark Consuelos lit the Live audience's fuse during a hilariously shady round of the fan-favorite Stump Mark trivia game with a firefighter, after the in-studio crowd turned on the actor and booed him on the air.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024
And even got booed off the stage at a competition — for winning!
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
Many Republicans in the chamber groaned and booed at Biden's description of Trump's record.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024
Ronnie reportedly got spat on and booed at early shows, and while many would come around, to others, there would forever remain no Black Sabbath without Ozzy.
—Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024
Attendees of Inter Miami’s exhibition match on Feb. 4 were furious at the U.S. team’s decision not to field Messi and fellow team member Luis Suarez, booing players and calling for a refund by the match’s end.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 20 Feb. 2024
As the saloon door opened, a blast of chants and boos from Trump protesters outside filled the room.
—Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024
Interjection
Highlights include a costume parade (for kids and parents), a Purim story and boo Haman and songs.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024
Volunteer yourself to help with X, Y and Z accommodations if that lightens the family’s workload, without saying boo about the couple’s choices.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024
C’mon, when the day began the Dodgers were in third place in the standings, but led the league in pitching and led all of baseball in run differential and … boo!
—Bill Plaschke, latimes.com, 25 May 2017
Noun
The silence at least gave the crowd space to bellyache and boo.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2024
But at the Wednesday night school board meeting, he was greeted with boos and chants from angry parents, teachers, and community members in the school district made of up of two elementary schools and one middle school.
—Jenavieve Hatch, Sacramento Bee, 15 Feb. 2024
Malik Monk added 23 points and 10 assists off the bench as the Kings heard boos from their fans throughout the game.
—Ben Ross, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024
After a third warning, Mr. Rey left the ring to a chorus of boos.
—James Wagner Luis Antonio Rojas, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2024
There were definitely some not-Swifties in the crowd; boos rang out in San Jose when the camera cut to the superstar, watching the game with friends in a luxury box.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024
Slide to see my homemade coloring book creation that started this work of art colored in by my lil boo.
—Jamie Ballard, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2024
To begin with he was greeted by a rather loud chorus of boos during the opening ceremony.
—Damian Dottore, Orange County Register, 28 Jan. 2024
The statement was met with boos from protesters at the back of the room, largely made up of members of the United Campus Workers Arizona calling for attention to UA’s ongoing financial stressors and pending legislation affecting higher education.
—The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
Angels owner Arte Moreno was emphatically booed Friday night when his image ever-so-briefly appeared on the Angel Stadium screen during a highlights video before the team’s home opener against the Boston Red Sox.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Commissioner Werfel opened his speech at American University with a video clip from the Simpsons, in which Homer is heard loudly booing the IRS.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 24 Mar. 2024
Mark Consuelos lit the Live audience's fuse during a hilariously shady round of the fan-favorite Stump Mark trivia game with a firefighter, after the in-studio crowd turned on the actor and booed him on the air.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024
And even got booed off the stage at a competition — for winning!
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
Many Republicans in the chamber groaned and booed at Biden's description of Trump's record.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024
Ronnie reportedly got spat on and booed at early shows, and while many would come around, to others, there would forever remain no Black Sabbath without Ozzy.
—Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024
Attendees of Inter Miami’s exhibition match on Feb. 4 were furious at the U.S. team’s decision not to field Messi and fellow team member Luis Suarez, booing players and calling for a refund by the match’s end.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 20 Feb. 2024
As the saloon door opened, a blast of chants and boos from Trump protesters outside filled the room.
—Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'boo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near boo
Cite this Entry
“Boo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boo. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boo
1 of 2 interjection
—used to express contempt or disapproval or to startle or frighten
boo
2 of 2 noun
plural boos
1
: a shout of disapproval or contempt
2
: any sound at all
never said boo
boo
verb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share