boo-boo

noun

ˈbü-(ˌ)bü 

plural boo-boos

1

: a usually trivial injury (such as a bruise or scratch)

—used especially by or of a child

2

: mistake, blunder

Synonyms

• blunder
• bobble
• boob [British]
• brick
• clanger [British]
• clinker
• error
• fault
• flub
• fluff
• fumble
• gaff
• gaffe
• goof
• inaccuracy
• lapse
• miscue
• misstep
• mistake
• oversight
• screwup
• slip
• slipup
• stumble
• trip

Examples of boo-boo in a Sentence

the president should not be making boo-boos in something as important as the State of the Union Address

Recent Examples on the Web

In his first start in two weeks, Marc-Andre Fleury survived a first-shift boo-boo and made 28 saves to improve to 4-0-1. —Michael Russo, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024

The Sun newspaper reports that Robinson made the boo-boo Friday morning during the BBC’s flagship current affairs radio show The Today Programme. —Caroline Frost, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2024

Advertisement The ‘biggies’ Here are the big boo-boos that justify packing up your pruners for the day and going inside for a timeout. —Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024

And because blue cats were purposely introduced in Virginia decades ago to boost recreational fishing opportunities, nobody wants to talk about how that was ultimately a boo-boo. —Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 16 Nov. 2023

Place the 100% cotton bear in the freezer, then remove it when your little one needs to cool off or has a boo-boo. —Amanda Crane, Health, 14 Aug. 2023

This new multiverse boo-boo is a potential reason to watch the Flash zoom through the timestream in another movie to try to fix it. —David Betancourt, Washington Post, 17 June 2023

Advertisement On Saturday, staff members from the university’s Val G. Hemming Simulation Center will be painting facsimiles of various bug boo-boos, from spider bites to the rash from the bite of a tick carrying Rocky Mountain spotted fever. —John Kelly, Washington Post, 7 June 2023

No one on Friday was caught in thicker fog than Clifton, who is both the Bruins’ hardest hitter and too often their biggest boo-boo maker. —Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

probably baby-talk alteration of boohoo, imitation of the sound of weeping

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for boo-boo

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou

Kids Definition

boo-boo

noun

ˈbü-ˌbü

plural boo-boos

1

: a usually small bruise or scratch especially on a child

2

: a foolish mistake