moo
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /mˈuː/
US
- /ˈmu/
Description
- Sound made by a cow
- Low cattle call
- Animal cry
- To make a cow's sound
We usually know "moo" as the sound a cow makes. It can be used as a noun for that sound or as a verb when a cow makes it. In simple English, it is the familiar low call of cattle. People also use it in stories, songs, and speech when they want to copy that sound in a playful or vivid way.
So if a child says, "The cow went moo," or if a book says that cows were mooing in the field, the meaning is clear and natural. It is a very common everyday word, but its use stays close to cows and their sound.
"Moo" is the word English speakers use for the deep sound made by a cow or other cattle. It is a classic example of a word that sounds like the noise it names, so it is often one of the first animal words children learn. You can use it as a noun, as in "I heard a loud moo from the barn," or as a verb, as in "The cows mooed all morning."
The word is mostly tied to real or imagined cattle sounds. In farm scenes, children's books, cartoons, and casual speech, it helps bring a scene to life. A writer might describe cows mooing in a field at dawn, or a parent might ask a child, "What sound does a cow make?" In these cases, the word is direct, simple, and easy to understand.
Sometimes people use "moo" in a playful way to imitate a cow for humor, but that does not usually create a separate meaning. In standard English, the main idea stays the same: it refers to the sound of a cow, or to the act of making that sound.
Examples
- 1
Farm animals
The cows started to moo when the farmer brought their food.
- 2
Animal sound
We heard a loud moo from the field behind the house.
- 3
Child speech
The baby pointed at the picture of a cow and said, "Moo!"
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- moonounverb
Forms
- moospluralnounverb
- mooing-ing formverbnoun
- mooedpast tenseverbnoun