boo-boo

Alternative forms

booboo, boo boo

Etymology

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”)

Pronunciation

(Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈbuːˌbuː/
Audio (US): (file)

Noun

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

(countable, colloquial, often childish) A mistake or error.
Synonyms: blooper, blunder, misstep, fluff, oopsy, slip; see also Thesaurus:error
- 2012, “The Hawking Excitation”, in The Big Bang Theory, season 5, episode 21, spoken by Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons):
  Oh, gosh, golly, I made a boo-boo, and I gave it to Stephen Hawking!
(countable, colloquial, childish, by or to young children) A minor injury, such as a cut or a bruise.
Synonyms: owie, scrape, bruise, nick, scratch; see also Thesaurus:injury
(uncountable, colloquial, childish, by or to young children) Feces.
Synonyms: (childish) boom-boom, (childish) doo-doo, (childish) poo; see also Thesaurus:feces
- 2015, “Hood Politics”, performed by Kendrick Lamar:
  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

Usage notes

(injury): Sometimes used sarcastically regarding overreaction to a very minor injury, as in "Aw, did the little boy get a boo-boo?" or "Aw, need me to kiss your boo-boo?"

Translations

minor injury

Basque: pupu (eu)
Czech: bebí (cs) n
Finnish: pipi (fi)
French: bobo (fr)
German: Wehweh n
Hungarian: bibi (hu)
Italian: bua (it) f
Portuguese: dodói (pt)
Russian: бо-бо (ru) (bo-bo)
Spanish: yaya (es) f, pupa (es) f, rasponcito m, yayai f (Cuba)

Verb

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

(colloquial, childish) To make a mistake.
- 1952, The Ferroequinologist: A Journal for Students of the Iron Horse‎:
  We boo-booed in giving the address of California Electric Railway Enthusiasts, and we realized it while mailing the last issue. Correct address is […]
- 1999, Dan Gookin, Word 2000 For Dummies‎:
  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).
(colloquial, childish, by or to young children) To defecate.
Synonyms: (childish) poo; see also Thesaurus:defecate
- 1974, The Southeastern Reporter‎:
  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.
- 2012, Carolyn Herring-Moore, When Enough is Enough: When You’re Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired, Xlibris, →ISBN, page unknown:
  “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, Reginald Killings, I Am Drama City: Trust, Love, Loyalty Is All We Know, Xlibris, →ISBN, page 34:
  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.
- 2017, /u/thesnakeinthegarden, “Oh god. Donna Brazile opened her mouth again.”, in Reddit‎:
  We didn't start demonizing Socialists until the 50s when everyone boo-booed they pants about communist russia.
- 2017, /u/Dwelld, “What was the worst situation you have crapped your pants?”, in Reddit‎:
  Imagine a little kid in a big ass button down coat sitting in a car and then just saying I boo booed on myself.

English