peekaboo

American  

[peek-uh-boo] / ˈpik əˌbu /

noun

1. Also called bo-peep.  a game played by or with very young children, typically in which one covers the face or hides and then suddenly uncovers the face or reappears, calling “Peekaboo!”

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adjective

1. Clothing.

   1. decorated with openwork.

   2. made of a sheer and revealing material, as some blouses for women.

2. appearing briefly and then vanishing, or promising to appear but failing to do so.

   the fluctuating response of the stock market to a peekaboo economic recovery.

peekaboo British  

/ ˈpiːkəˌbuː /

noun

1. a game for young children, in which one person hides his face and suddenly reveals it and cries "peekaboo."

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adjective

1. (of a garment) made of fabric that is almost transparent or patterned with small holes

Etymology

Origin of peekaboo

1590–1600; peek + -a- connective + boo ¹

Example Sentences

Sloan’s rough-and-tumble peekaboo game is exemplary for a first-timer.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2025

Other tracks include tv off, dodger blue, peekaboo, and gnx.

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2024

Babies love playing peekaboo, continuing to react even on the tenth sudden appearance of their partner in the game.

From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2024

Seniors played tug of war in the new gym, regulation size and sunny, with peekaboo windows providing passers-by in the hall glimpses of aspiring LeBrons and Giannises trying to dunk.

From New York Times • Feb. 15, 2023

Her hair fell over me, and for a half second, I remembered when I was a kid and we played peekaboo through the curling thicket of her hair.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry