Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

booby

/ˈbuːbi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.98 in modern English

Syllables
boo-by
IPA
/ˈbuːbi/
12
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A stupid person.

noun

Any of various large tropical seabirds from the genera Sula and Papasula in the family Sulidae, traditionally considered to be stupid.

noun

In the game of croquet, a ball that has not passed through the first wicket.

verb

To behave stupidly; to act like a booby.

Intransitive verb

verb

To install a booby trap on or at (something); to attack (someone) with a booby trap.

Transitive verb

adj

Stupid; unintelligent.

Obsolete; Slang

noun

A breast.

Colloquial

Example Sentences

Etymology

17th century. From Spanish bobo, from Latin balbus (“stammering”). (bird): Compare typologically Translingual Morus, German Tölpel, Polish głuptak (akin to głupek), Russian о́луша (óluša) (akin to о́лух (ólux)).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce booby?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbuːbi/.
What does booby mean?
A stupid person.
Where does booby come from?
It is traced to Spanish.

How to pronounce booby

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “booby”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbuːbi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “booby”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “booby” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.