Standard Lemma guide

cooee

intj · name · noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • ko͞o'(w)ē
  • /ˈkuːwiː/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -uːiː

1

intj

Meaning 1

Used to attract someone's attention.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, UK, informal

Examples

  • Cooee! I'm over here!
  • 2001, June E. Barker, First Platypus, Gaygar—The Little Mother Duck, in Helen F. McKay (editor), Pauline E. McLeod, Francis Firebrace Jones, June E. Barker, Gadi Mirrabooka: Australian Aboriginal Tales from the Dreaming, page 58, Gaygar could hear her people cooee out to her, "COOEE, GAYGAR! COOEE, GAYGAR!" they would cry.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

name

Meaning 2

A town in Burnie City Council, north western Tasmania, Australia.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A long, loud call used to attract attention when at a distance, mainly done in the Australian bush.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, informal, onomatopoeic

Examples

  • 2006, Saskia Beudel, Walking: West MacDonnell Ranges 2002, in Drusilla Modjeska, The Best Australian Essays 2006, page 309, Just as I was preparing to write in my exercise book, I heard a cooee. Cooees were not part of the code.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A short distance; hailing distance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, also, figuratively, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To make such a call.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, informal, intransitive

Examples

  • 2006, Saskia Beudel, Walking: West MacDonnell Ranges 2002, in Drusilla Modjeska, The Best Australian Essays 2006, page 310, I cooeed back. Another cooee came in what seemed to be a reply. I cooeed again.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Dharug guuu-wi, adopted into English by white settlers in Australia from 1790.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Māori: hū — a call as a signal
  • Māori: whakahoho — a call as a signal
  • Māori: hū — to call out as a signal
  • Māori: whakahoho — to call out as a signal