variants
or boohoo
or less commonly boo hoo
boo-hooed or boohooed; boo-hooing or boohooing
: to weep loudly and with sobs
… even the impeccable Lord Jeffrey, editor of the Edinburgh Review, confessed to having cried—blubbered, boohooed, snuffled, and sighed—over the death of Little Nell in The Old Curiosity Shop.—
Tom Wolfe
Tom WolfeJoey kept boo-hooing like a real idiot.—Christopher Paul Curtis
—often used as an interjection especially in mocking imitation of another's tears, complaints, unhappiness, etc.Christopher Paul CurtisBefore she finished her question, one twin and then the other began to cry. "Boohoo, boohoo," Ernie mocked. "I'm not staying with crybabies."—Nancy Smiler Levinson
Nancy Smiler LevinsonHe said as long as I was being so pure, why not give her the real scoop on her old man? I said because it would crush her. Boo hoo, he said.—George Saunders
George Saunders
boo-hoo
noun
or boohoo
plural boo-hoos or boohoos
… the tough Garden crowd reacted with boos instead of boo-hoos.
—Richard Johnson
Richard Johnson
boo-hooing
noun
or boohooing
"Woman: cease this detestable boohooing instantly; or else seek the shelter of some other place of worship."
—George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
No one feels good after being dumped. The loudest boo-hooing seems to be coming from young people …
—Jane Bryant Quinn
Jane Bryant Quinn
Cite this Entry
“Boo-hoo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boo-hoo. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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