What does boohooing mean?
Boohooing describes loud, conspicuous weeping, typically of a kind that seems exaggerated or insincere rather than genuinely moving. The word derives from "boohoo," an imitative representation of the sound of sobbing that entered English as informal slang in the nineteenth century. Because of this onomatopoeic origin, the term has always carried a slightly mocking connotation: to say someone was boohooing suggests their tears were theatrical or their complaints self-pitying rather than worthy of sympathy. In modern usage it appears both as a verb — "she was boohooing all afternoon" — and as a noun for the noise itself. It can also extend figuratively to whiny, overwrought complaining, as when critics are accused of boohooing over a lost election or a cancelled show. Informal in register, it sits alongside terms like "blubbering" and "whining" and should be avoided in contexts calling for tact, since its very sound undercuts the seriousness of the distress it describes.
To weep noisily and ostentatiously; to complain in an exaggerated, self-pitying way.
"Stop boohooing and tell me what actually happened."
Almost always used mockingly or dismissively; rarely neutral.
Loud, exaggerated crying or self-pitying complaint considered as a noise or spectacle.
"I could hear the boohooing from two rooms away."
Used chiefly in informal speech and writing.
'Boohoo' began life as pure imitation — the literal sound of a bawling child — which is why the word still carries a mocking, unsympathetic edge today.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of boohooing
The word comes from "boohoo," an onomatopoeic formation imitating the sound of noisy sobbing, attested in English from around the early nineteenth century. As an imitation of crying, it belongs to a family of echoic English words such as "boo" and "hubbub" that mimic sounds directly rather than descending from older roots. Its gerund form "boohooing" developed naturally from use of "boohoo" as a verb meaning to bawl or cry loudly.
Related word forms
How boohooing is actually used
Informal and often dismissive in tone; using it implies mild mockery of the person crying or complaining rather than sympathy.
Easily confused with boohooing
Booing is the sound an audience makes to show disapproval (shouting 'boo'), whereas boohooing refers to noisy, exaggerated crying or self-pitying complaint.