as in snort
a vocal sound made to express scorn or disapproval
the referee's questionable call was greeted with a chorus of boos
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to jeer
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of boo
Jj Holmes, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
There was noticeably enthusiastic applause for Ukraine's athletes and boos for Israel, as was the case in 2024.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 6 Feb. 2026
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2025
Before the game, manager John Schneider called for Dodger fans not to boo him, considering how much time had passed.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boo
Noun
There was a second of stunned silence before the room erupted in boos and jeers.
—Jj Holmes, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
There was noticeably enthusiastic applause for Ukraine's athletes and boos for Israel, as was the case in 2024.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
The two were unable to make a deal to boo Martin Scorsese’s 3 1/2 hour 2019 gangster epic The Irishman.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2025
Before the game, manager John Schneider called for Dodger fans not to boo him, considering how much time had passed.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boo
Noun
-
Soon come the snorts, the heavy body of a second hog tottering heavily from the hut.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The Rodents of Unusual Size that attack Westley in a swamp work because they are played by small men in rodent suits, rather than coolly conjured from pixels; their deliberate artifice is the thrill, and Reiner provided the voice for their hideous snorts.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
There are bodily fluids, jeering crowds, and demonic Punch and Judy puppets applauding through the chaos, giving the scene the air of a demented fairy tale.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Federal agents in tactical gear, carrying firearms, moved in on the park, walking in a straight line, side by side, some on horseback, as news helicopters hovered above and nearby demonstrators jeered at them.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sure, the scatalogical title and prurient lyrics reflected the band's age — Armstrong was fresh out of his teens at the time — but its punk sneer was rooted in sophisticated songcraft.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The obsequiousness, the sneers, the boasting, the vacant generalities, and the hand-waving bespeak fear of departing from the Trumpian orthodoxy of the moment.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In 2017 Dikansh Parmar of the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change in Germany, rescued an Indian cobra (Naja naja) coiled around a train’s window bars that was hissing and, understandably, frightening passengers.—
Richard Kemeny,
Scientific American,
6 Feb. 2026
-
If the pressure relief valve begins hissing or spraying water, then something is wrong.—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And Nix, often with a smirk, will return the volley.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The bus drivers do nothing to enforce the rules, and we seniors are left trudging down the bus aisle while the people in the seats smirk, look at their phones and talk to each other.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boo. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
