1 A2 informal
To make an animal leave a place by using sounds, words, or hand gestures
"He shooed off the stray dog that kept sniffing at the picnic basket."
separable
shoo off
B1 informal separable transitive
To make a person or animal go away with gestures or sounds
In plain English
To get an animal or person to leave by waving or making noise
What does "shoo off" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 informal
To dismissively tell a person to go away
"The shopkeeper shooed off the kids who were loitering outside his door."
separable
Usage tip
Very similar to 'shoo away'; 'shoo off' may feel slightly more emphatic. Both are used mainly with animals, children, or unwanted visitors. Common in informal spoken English.
Words that pair with "shoo off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
dogs flies children birds cats beggars
How to conjugate "shoo off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
shoo off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
shoos off
he/she/it
Past simple
shooed off
yesterday
Past participle
shooed off
have + pp
-ing form
shooing off
continuous
Hear "shoo off" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "shoo off" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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