noun
cuckoo
KUU-koo
noun
1
A gray-brown bird known for its distinctive two-note call and for laying its eggs in other birds' nests.
"A cuckoo clock chimes with a sound like the bird's call."
adj
1
Informal word for crazy or not making sense.
"That plan sounds completely cuckoo to me."
verb
1
To move into and take over someone's home, often a vulnerable person's, in order to use it for criminal activity.
"Police say the gang had been cuckooing an elderly resident's flat."
How to Use Cuckoo
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither the bird itself, slang for "crazy," or (in UK crime reporting) the practice of criminals taking over a vulnerable person's home.
Common pairings
cuckoo clock
go cuckoo
cuckooing
Word Forms
more cuckoo comparative, cuckooed past tense, cuckoos singular, most cuckoo superlative
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A _____ clock chimes with a sound like the bird's call.
Etymology
From Old French cocu, imitating the call of the male common cuckoo.