Boo Meaning
/buː/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
intjA loud exclamation intended to scare someone. Usually used when one has been hidden from the target, and then appears unexpectedly.
intjAn exclamation used by a member of an audience, as at a stage play or sporting event, to indicate derision or disapproval.
Sentence Examples
Tom would never say boo to a goose.
Boo! Get off the stage!
CEFR Practice Quiz
The crowd began to ____ the magician after he failed to make the rabbit disappear.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The crowd began to ____ when the player made a very bad mistake.
Word Origin & History
From earlier (15c.) boh, coined to create a loud and startling sound. Compare Middle English bus! (“bang!”, interjection), Latin boō (“cry aloud, roar, shout”, verb), Ancient Greek βοάω (boáō, “shout”, verb).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I ask them to record their votes in my favour, and I ask, is there any man who will dare to call me a stranger (hear, hear, and booing)?"
— 1852 July 15, “Dundalk Election”, in The Freeman's Journal, volume lxxxv, Dublin, page 3:
"...Hodgson headed down the tunnel with the boos of fans ringing in his ears after an eighth league defeat of the season..."
— 2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC Sport:
"Like a moustachioed pantomime villain relishing boos and hisses from the audience, Trump is oblivious to warnings and protestations from the sane world and simply contemptuous of the lickspittle mob desperately hoping to go unnoticed."
— 2026 January 24, Michael Pascoe, “America’s mighty economic power has feet of clay”, in Michael West Media:
"Nobody booed and nobody clapped"
— 2004 October 18, The New Yorker:
"Substitute Charlie Austin scored seven minutes into his Southampton debut as a lacklustre Manchester United were booed off at Old Trafford."
— 2016 January 23, Phil Dakwes, “Man Utd 0–1 Southampton”, in BBC Sport:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The crowd began to ____ the magician after he failed to make the rabbit disappear.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The crowd began to ____ when the player made a very bad mistake.