cuckoo

KOO-koo/ˈkuː.kuː/UKKUU-koo/ˈkʊk.uː/

Pluralcuckoos

Verbcuckoos, cuckooing, cuckooed

10 meanings of cuckoo

Practice

1
nouncountable
A bird known for laying its eggs in other birds' nests and for its two-note call.
The cuckoo left its egg in a smaller bird's nest.
We could hear a cuckoo calling in the trees all morning.
Note
2
crazyadjectiveslang
Crazy, or not sane.
This hot weather is making me go cuckoo.
My brother acts totally cuckoo when he eats too much candy.
UsageSay go cuckoo: I'm going cuckoo.
Similarcrazy, nuts, bonkers, loopy, mad
Oppositesane
3
clocknouncountable
A cuckoo clock, meaning the whole clock and not just the little bird inside.
The cuckoo on the wall stopped, so Dad wound it again.
We hung our new cuckoo above the fireplace, and it chimes every hour.
4
bird's callnouncountable
The sound a cuckoo bird makes, two notes that sound like its name.
From the woods came a soft cuckoo, and then another.
Every cuckoo from the trees made the baby laugh.
5
crazy personnounslangcountable
A crazy person.
Only a cuckoo would go swimming in the lake in winter.
People on the street thought he was a cuckoo for shouting at the clouds.
UsageIt is unkind. Do not use it about people with a mental illness.
Similarnut, nutcase, loony, lunatic, crackpot
Note
6
pop-out birdnouncountable
The little bird figure inside a cuckoo clock.
Every hour, the cuckoo jumps out of the little door.
The cuckoo in our clock lost its paint, so Dad painted it again.
7
intrudernouncountable
A person who tricks their way into a place where they do not belong, often called a cuckoo in the nest.
He charmed his way into the band, and now everyone says he is the cuckoo in the nest.
My cousin came for one weekend and became the cuckoo in the nest.
Similarinterloper, intruder
Note
8
take over homeverbUKtransitive
To take over the home of someone who can't easily protect themselves, and secretly use it for gang crime.
Police found that a gang had cuckooed the old man and was selling drugs from his flat.
Criminals sometimes cuckoo people who live alone and need help.
UsageOften said as was cuckooed.
Note

Less common meanings

9
make the callverbintransitive
To make the two-note sound that a cuckoo bird makes.
We heard a bird cuckoo somewhere in the woods.
The clock cuckooed twelve times at midnight.
10
verbrare
To say the same thing again and again without stopping.

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English, probably from Old French cucu; the name copies the sound of the male bird's call.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

The English word comes from Middle English. en.wiktionary.org
The Middle English word probably comes from Old French cucu. en.wiktionary.org
The name imitates the male bird’s call. rspb.org.uk