boo-boo

US/ˈbu(ˌ)bu/Canada/ˈbuː(ˌ)buː/

noun

A mistake or error.

Meanings

nounboo-boo (countable and uncountable, plural boo-boos)

plural boo-boos · alternative booboo · alternative boo boo

  1. childishcolloquialcountableoftenA mistake or error.

    Oh, gosh, golly, I made a boo-boo, and I gave it to Stephen Hawking!

    2012, “The Hawking Excitation”, in The Big Bang Theory, season 5, episode 21, spoken by Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons)

    Synonyms: blooper, blunder, misstep, fluff, oopsy, slip, aberration, bloomer

  2. childishcolloquialcountableby or to young childrenA minor injury, such as a cut or a bruise.

    Synonyms: owie, scrape, bruise, nick, scratch, injury, wound, scath

  3. childishcolloquialuncountableby or to young childrenFeces.

    I been A-1 since day one, you niggas boo-boo Your home boy, your block that you're from, boo-boo Lil' hoes you went to school with, boo-boo Baby mama and your new bitch, boo-boo

    2015, “Hood Politics”, performed by Kendrick Lamar

    Synonyms: boom-boom, doo-doo, poo, boom-boom, BM, bowel movement, caca, cack

verbboo-boo (third-person singular simple present boo-boos, present participle boo-booing, simple past and past participle boo-booed)

present singular third person boo-boos · participle present boo-booing · participle past boo-booed · past boo-booed · alternative booboo · alternative boo boo

  1. childishcolloquialintransitiveTo make a mistake.

    We boo-booed in giving the address of California Electric Railway Enthusiasts, and we realized it while mailing the last issue. Correct address is […]

    1952, The Ferroequinologist: A Journal for Students of the Iron Horse
    1 more example

    If you do this and feel that you have boo-booed, press Shift+F5, the Go Back keyboard shortcut, to return from whence you came (that is, back to your previous edit).

    1999, Dan Gookin, Word 2000 For Dummies
  2. childishcolloquialtransitiveby or to young childrenTo defecate.

    We didn't start demonizing Socialists until the 50s when everyone boo-booed they pants about communist russia.

    2017, /u/thesnakeinthegarden, “Oh god. Donna Brazile opened her mouth again.”, in Reddit
    4 more examples

    I went upstairs and Joseph, my husband, he came upstairs and found some boo boo on the floor. My little girl boo booed on herself downstairs as I was getting ready to clean her up.

    1974, The Southeastern Reporter

    “Ya know, I don't know what is wrong with my stomach. I must have eaten something spoiled at the job. I was at a customer's home climbing a pole, and I started boo-booing on myself. I got off the pole and took some of the leaves to wipe my butt. Man, that's a horrible feeling.”

    2012, Carolyn Herring-Moore, When Enough is Enough: When You’re Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired, Xlibris, →ISBN, page unknown

    I'm still going through so much shock. I can't go through all this. My stomach is rumbling. I have to use the restroom so bad. I was about to boo boo on myself but I remembered what the nurse told me the earlier.

    2012, Reginald Killings, I Am Drama City: Trust, Love, Loyalty Is All We Know, Xlibris, →ISBN, page 34

    Imagine a little kid in a big ass button down coat sitting in a car and then just saying I boo booed on myself.

    2017, /u/Dwelld, “What was the worst situation you have crapped your pants?”, in Reddit

    Synonyms: poo, cack, choke a darkie, crap, defecate, do one's ease, ease oneself, do a number two

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA minor injury, such as a cut or a bruise.

More synonyms by meaning

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Frenchbobo“boo-boo”
  2. Englishboo-boo

* Possibly from bug-a-boo, an imaginary evil goblin. * Possibly from bubo, a swollen lymph node especially obvious in sufferers of bubonic plague. * Possibly from the sound a baby or young toddler might make. * Possibly borrowed from French bobo (“boo-boo”)

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Basque pupu
  • pupuminor injury
Czech bebí
  • bebíminor injury
Finnish pipi
  • pipiminor injury
French bobo
  • bobominor injury
German Wehweh
  • Wehwehminor injury
Hungarian bibi
  • bibiminor injury
Italian bua
  • buaminor injury
Polish kuku
  • kukuminor injury
Portuguese dodói, dói-dói
  • dodóiminor injury
  • dói-dóiminor injury
Russian бо-бо
  • бо-бо (bo-bo)minor injury
Spanish yaya, pupa
  • yayaminor injury
  • pupaminor injury
  • rasponcitominor injury
  • yayaiminor injury
Welsh popo
  • popominor injury
Cite this entry
APA

boo-boo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boo-boo

MLA

“boo-boo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boo-boo. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “boo-boo,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boo-boo.

Source: boo-boo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.