boo

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• /buː/
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• Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -uː
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• CMU ARPABET: B UW1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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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).

From Swedish Boo.

From Malay Boo, from Min Nan 巫 ( Chinese 巫 ). Transliteration of Min Nan 巫.

From Korean 부 (bu), from Korean 夫, from Chinese 夫. Transliteration of Korean 부 (bu).

Borrowed from Dutch de Boo.

From beau, from French beau. First appears c. 1988 in the Washington Post: See the cite below.

Of unknown origin, possibly from boojum, from a fancied resemblance of the plants. First appears c. 1959 in Esquire Magazine.

Dubious; perhaps adaptation of French beau (“beautiful”).

Likely onomatopoeic.

131 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Catalan: bu — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Catalan: ua — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Chinese Mandarin: 嘣 (bèng) — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Chinese Mandarin: 哇 (wà) — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Chinese Mandarin: 喲 /哟 (yò) — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Chinese Mandarin: 嘿 (hèi) — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Czech: baf — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Dutch: boe — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Finnish: pöö — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Finnish: huu — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• French: bouh — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• French: hou — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Galician: bu — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• German: buh — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Greek: μπου (bou) — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Hungarian: hu — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Icelandic: bú — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Icelandic: bö — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Japanese: ばあ (baa) — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Korean: 부 (bu) — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Macedonian: бу (bu) — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Polish: bu — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Portuguese: bu — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Romanian: bau — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Russian: бу (bu) — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Russian: фу (fu) — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Russian: шш (šš) — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Scottish Gaelic: bo — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Spanish: bu — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Swedish: bu — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Turkish: bö — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Vietnamese: hù — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Welsh: bw — loud exclamation intended to scare someone
• Finnish: pöö — word used ironically in a situation where one might have scared someone, but said someone was not scared
• Finnish: huu — word used ironically in a situation where one might have scared someone, but said someone was not scared
• German: buh — word used ironically in a situation where one might have scared someone, but said someone was not scared
• Hungarian: hu — word used ironically in a situation where one might have scared someone, but said someone was not scared
• Icelandic: bú — word used ironically in a situation where one might have scared someone, but said someone was not scared
• Icelandic: bö — word used ironically in a situation where one might have scared someone, but said someone was not scared
• Portuguese: bu — word used ironically in a situation where one might have scared someone, but said someone was not scared
• Romanian: bau — word used ironically in a situation where one might have scared someone, but said someone was not scared
• Spanish: uuh — word used ironically in a situation where one might have scared someone, but said someone was not scared
• Swedish: bu — word used ironically in a situation where one might have scared someone, but said someone was not scared
• Chinese Cantonese: 噓 /嘘 (heoi1) — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Chinese Cantonese: 柴臺 /柴台 (caai4 toi4) — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Chinese Mandarin: 噓 /嘘 (xū) — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Chinese Mandarin: 噓聲 /嘘声 (xūshēng) — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Chinese Mandarin: 喝倒彩 (hèdàocǎi) — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Chinese Mandarin: 吁 (yū) — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Dutch: boe — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Esperanto: hu — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Finnish: buu — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• French: bouh — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• German: buh — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Greek: ου (ou) — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Ancient Greek: ἰεῦ (ieû) — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Hebrew: בּוּז (búz) — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Hungarian: pfuj — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Icelandic: ú — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Japanese: ブー (bū) — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Macedonian: уа (ua) — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Norwegian Nynorsk: bu — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Portuguese: bu — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Romanian: huo — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Swedish: bu — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Turkish: yuh — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Welsh: bw — exclamation used by a member of an audience
• Swedish: Boo — locality in Sweden
• Catalan: esbroncada — derisive shout
• Chinese Cantonese: 㗾 (hoe1) — derisive shout
• Chinese Mandarin: 噓聲 /嘘声 (xūshēng) — derisive shout
• Chinese Mandarin: 喝倒彩 (hèdàocǎi) — derisive shout
• Dutch: boegeroep — derisive shout
• Finnish: buuaus — derisive shout
• German: Buhruf — derisive shout
• Hungarian: pfujolás — derisive shout
• Hungarian: kifütyülés — derisive shout
• Hungarian: lehurrogás — derisive shout
• Irish: faíreach — derisive shout
• Japanese: ブーイング (būingu) — derisive shout
• Japanese: ブー (bū) — derisive shout
• Macedonian: исвиркување (isvirkuvanje) — derisive shout
• Portuguese: vaia — derisive shout
• Portuguese: apupo — derisive shout
• Russian: ши́канье (šíkanʹje) — derisive shout
• Russian: осви́стывание (osvístyvanije) — derisive shout
• Spanish: abucheo — derisive shout
• Spanish: befa — derisive shout
• Swedish: burop — derisive shout
• Catalan: esbroncar — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Chinese Cantonese: 㗾 — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Chinese Mandarin: 喝倒彩 (hèdàocǎi) — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Chinese Mandarin: 噓 /嘘 (xū) — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Esperanto: hui — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Finnish: buuata — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• French: huer — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Galician: apupar — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• German: buhen — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Greek: μπου (bou) — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Hungarian: pfujol — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Icelandic: púa — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Irish: bí ag faíreach — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Japanese: 野次る (yajiru) — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Japanese: ブーイングする (būingu suru) — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Macedonian: исвиркува (isvirkuva) — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Norwegian Bokmål: bue — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Portuguese: vaiar — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Portuguese: apupar — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Russian: ши́кать (šíkatʹ) — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Russian: заши́кать (zašíkatʹ) — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Russian: осви́стывать (osvístyvatʹ) — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Russian: освиста́ть (osvistátʹ) — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Spanish: abuchear — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Swedish: bua — to shout boos derisively (intransitive)
• Chinese Cantonese: 㗾 — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Finnish: buuata — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Galician: apupar — to shout boos at (transitive)
• German: ausbuhen — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Hebrew: בָּז (baz) — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Hungarian: kifütyül — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Hungarian: lehurrog — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Icelandic: púa út — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Irish: bí ag faíreach faoi — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Macedonian: исвиркува (isvirkuva) — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Norwegian Bokmål: bue ut — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Norwegian Bokmål: bue på — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Polish: wygwizdywać — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Polish: wygwizdać — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Russian: осви́стывать (osvístyvatʹ) — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Russian: освиста́ть (osvistátʹ) — to shout boos at (transitive)
• Swedish: bua ut — to shout boos at (transitive)