Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • interjection Used to frighten away animals or birds.
  • transitive verb To drive or frighten away by or as if by crying “shoo.”

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To cry or call out “Shoo,” as in driving away fowls.
  • To scare or drive away (fowls or other creatures) by calling out “Shoo.”
  • noun An obsolete spelling of shoe.
  • Begone! off! away! used to scare away fowls and other animals.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • interjection Begone; away; -- an expression used in frightening away animals, especially fowls.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive, informal To induce someone or something to leave.
  • verb intransitive, informal To leave under inducement.
  • verb informal, rare To usher someone.
  • interjection informal, demeaning Go away! Clear off!

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb drive away by crying `shoo!'

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Compare German scheuchen to scare, drive away.

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Examples

  • Another 10 have asked me to treat them. 3 have asked if they can have the Pilot Pen. * shoo shoo** shoo shoo*

    whiteplum Diary Entry whiteplum 2005

  • Her want is no important than the fawns, and while she would be justified in shoo-ing it away or putting up a fence, she is by no means justified in slowly bludgeoning it to death.

    Elderly Women Charged With Beating Fawn To Death 2009

  • Her want is no important than the fawns, and while she would be justified in shoo-ing it away or putting up a fence, she is by no means justified in slowly bludgeoning it to death.

    Elderly Women Charged With Beating Fawn To Death 2009

  • Perhaps Martha C.akley, the Democratic candidate who was the so-called shoo-in in Massachusetts 'Senate race, would have faired better if Obama had stayed in D.C. This is huge, folks.

    Memphis Commercial Appeal Stories 2010

  • Remonde has earlier identified as shoo-ins for the senatorial lineup Secretaries Jesli Lapus of the education department, Esperanza Cabral of the social welfare, Ace Durano of the tourism, Arthur Yap of the agriculture and Francisco Duque III of the health; presidential adviser on climate change Heherson Alvarez Jr.

    Sun.Star Network Online - Your Source of Philippine Community News 2009

  • No matter how much Mr. Martin wants to "shoo" us away, many of us feel very strongly when a political candidate refuses (that's the Key word-refuses) to wear such a simple gesture of honor and pride for this country.

    Clinton fights on, Obama returns to Iowa 2008

  • Sensing movement might help keep a fly from remaining in one place for very long, the same way the tail of a cow might help "shoo" the fly from its stationary position on the haunch, but does that mean flies go away or does it mean they just buzz around and land again somewhere else nearby?

    Repel Flies With A Bag Of Water | Lifehacker Australia 2009

  • But when I walked right up to it and went "shoo" and it just cocked its head at me curiously, I thought I should probably see just how tame it was.

    Success! (Of a sort) StyleyGeek 2007

  • In turn that seems to have come from the verb shoo, meaning to drive a person or an animal in a given direction by making noises or gestures, which in turn comes from the noise people often make when they do it.

    Archive 2006-03-01 2006

  • In turn that seems to have come from the verb shoo, meaning to drive a person or an animal in a given direction by making noises or gestures, which in turn comes from the noise people often make when they do it.

    Shoe-in is a shoo-in in the Google horse race 2006

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