cooing

American  

[koo-ing] / ˈku ɪŋ /

noun

1. an act or instance of uttering or imitating the soft murmuring sound characteristic of doves.

   Jim recognized the sound as the cooing of a pigeon, although some of us thought it was an owl.

2. the act of murmuring or talking fondly or admiringly.

   I’m no fan of fancy goodies—not for me the cooing over iced Halloween cupcakes topped with fondant pumpkins.

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adjective

1. making the sound characteristic of doves.

   Since February, the lake has come alive again with a few pairs of mallards and a cooing eider duck.

2. murmuring or talking fondly or admiringly.

   Strolling on the boardwalk were cooing couples, briefcase-toting executives, and chattering children with their nannies.

Other Word Forms

• cooingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of cooing

First recorded in 1660–70; coo ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; coo ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses

Example Sentences

Usually it plays out as a cute moment, the assembled gaggle cooing awwww at the exchange as the queried party answers far more effusively than they do for their daily adult nemeses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Waking up to the sounds of Princess Peach giggling or Zelda softly cooing “wake up,” is, yes, odd, but I appreciate the burst of frivolity before I start worrying about my to-do list.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2024

Otis even gets a starring role, cooing along playfully to an improvised piano solo called Interlude II.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2024

One can hear actual children in the mix, cooing gently at the beginning, then fading away as the composition grows more intense.

From New York Times • Mar. 6, 2024

He lured them out of the pages as if they had only been waiting for his voice, words long and short, words sharp and soft, cooing, purring words.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

Related Words

• murmur