What does cooee mean?
A cooee is a long, loud, high-pitched call — typically rendered 'coo-ee' — used to attract attention or signal one's position over a considerable distance. The word originated with Aboriginal Australians and was adopted by European settlers, becoming so characteristic of the Australian bush that it functions almost as a national emblem; in the First World War, Australian soldiers famously used the call to identify one another. Today it survives both literally, as a shout exchanged between hikers, farmers, or children in open country, and figuratively, in the firmly established idiom 'within cooee of,' meaning 'close to' or 'nearly at' something — one can be within cooee of a destination, or within cooee of a solution. The word can serve as an interjection, a noun naming the call itself, or a rare verb describing the act of calling. Distinctively Australasian, it carries connotations of open space, self-reliance, and outback life, and remains instantly recognisable to Australian ears even where its practical use has faded.
The long, high-pitched call itself, uttered to attract attention or indicate one's location over a distance.
"We heard a faint cooee drifting up from the creek bed."
Often used in the idiomatic phrase 'within cooee of,' meaning close to something.
Used as the call itself: 'coo-ee!' shouted to attract attention.
"Coo-ee! Anyone home?"
To utter such a call.
"She cooeed until someone finally appeared on the track ahead."
Verb use is uncommon compared with the noun and interjection forms.
Standard plural for the noun sense.
"The rescuers sent cooees echoing across the gorge all afternoon."
'Within cooee' is such a fixed Australian idiom that it's used to describe anything nearby — you can be 'within cooee of the beach,' no actual shouting required.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cooee
Cooee entered English from an Aboriginal Australian language, most likely the Dharug language of the Sydney region, during the early decades of European settlement in Australia around the late 18th or early 19th century. Settlers adopted it as a practical bush signal because the call carries remarkably far, and it spread through Australian colonial speech and literature. It is unrelated to any European root; its closest relatives are other borrowings from Aboriginal Australian languages into Australian English, such as billabong and corroboree. The derivative idiom 'within cooee of' developed later in Australian usage.
How cooee is actually used
Strongly associated with Australian English; understood in British English largely through colonial literature. The extended idiom 'within cooee of' means 'near' or 'close to,' often figuratively ('we're within cooee of finishing'). The verb form is comparatively rare.
Easily confused with cooee
A coulee is a deep ravine or lava flow formed by erosion or volcanism, whereas a cooee is a shrill attention-calling cry of Australian origin.