shoo off
B1 informal separable transitive
In simple words
To get an animal or person to leave by waving or making noise
Meanings
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."
Grammar: separable
2 B1 informal
To dismissively tell a person to go away
"The shopkeeper shooed off the kids who were loitering outside his door."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
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.
Commonly used with
dogs flies children birds cats beggars
Forms
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
Understand "shoo off" better
Try:
Real video examples
Video examples are being collected. Check back soon.
Want to master this phrasal verb?
Practice "shoo off" on Looplines