cockatoo

noun

cock·​a·​too ˈkä-kə-ˌtü How to pronounce cockatoo (audio)
plural cockatoos
: any of various large noisy chiefly Australasian crested parrots (family Cacatuidae and especially genus Cacatua)

Illustration of cockatoo

Illustration of cockatoo

Examples of cockatoo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Their Hickory Hill estate in McLean, Va. was a rotating roster of secretaries of state, film stars and celebrities along with snakes, ponies, horses, hamsters, homing pigeons, ducks, geese, cockatoos and a huge turtle. Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 10 Oct. 2024 Then there's a fennec fox, a skunk, four prairie dogs, a ton of parrots, hornbills, toucans, cockatoos and a bunch of tortoises. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 13 Aug. 2024 This might not seem unusual to cockatoo novices, but Crowe insists that cockatoos never exhibit this kind of behavior. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 14 June 2024 Buske, who lives in Brooklyn Center, brought Noah, his Goffin’s cockatoo, in last week. Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 27 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for cockatoo 

Word History

Etymology

Dutch kaketoe, from Malay kakatua

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cockatoo was in 1634

Dictionary Entries Near cockatoo

Cite this Entry

“Cockatoo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cockatoo. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cockatoo

noun
cock·​a·​too ˈkäk-ə-ˌtü How to pronounce cockatoo (audio)
plural cockatoos
: any of various large noisy usually showy chiefly Australasian parrots that have a bunch of feathers on the head

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