Meaning

(Australia, informal, onomatopoeia) A long, loud call used to attract attention when at a distance, mainly done in the Australian bush..

Definitions by Sense

1. (Australia, informal, onomatopoeia) A long, loud call used to attract attention when at a distance, mainly done in the Australian bush.
2. (Australia, informal, with "within", also figuratively) A short distance; hailing distance.
3. (intransitive, Australia, informal) To make such a call.
4. (informal, chiefly Australia, UK) Used to attract someone's attention.

Example Sentences

2006, Saskia Beudel, Walking: West MacDonnell Ranges 2002, in Drusilla Modjeska, The Best Australian Essays 2006, page 309, Just as I was preparing to write in my exercise book, I heard a cooee. Cooees were not part of the code.

Then they heard in the distance the "coo-ee" of a white man, which was instantly answered by another "coo-ee".

I call out, “Coo-ee” with long Coo and short ee like whip-bird call. Everybody in my mob know my cooee. Any one of my mob hear that, they give me cooee back. I listen. No cooee come back.

That is not within cooee of 10 per cent; it is much closer to six per cent.

We were carless, in the dark, and no one to help within cooee.

2006, Saskia Beudel, Walking: West MacDonnell Ranges 2002, in Drusilla Modjeska, The Best Australian Essays 2006, page 310, I cooeed back. Another cooee came in what seemed to be a reply. I cooeed again.

‘Look out for snakes,’ said Long Charlie, flourishing his lantern. ‘And don′t all of us be coo-eeing all the time, or when the little chap sings out we shan't be able to hear him.’

Slipping out of the tail of the dray, I cooeed as loud as I could which was answered.

Word Forms

• cooees
• cooey
• coo-ee
• cooeeing
• cooeed

Synonyms for cooee

Related Words

When Should You Use Cooee?

Use cooee when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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