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poop

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Uncertain, possibly from Middle English poupen (to make a gulping sound while drinking, blow on a horn, toot). Compare Dutch poepen (to defecate), German Low German pupen (to fart; break wind). Also representing poo pronounced with the mouth snapped closed at the end.

Verb

poop (third-person singular simple present poops, present participle pooping, simple past and past participle pooped)

  1. (obsolete, intransitive) To make a short blast on a horn. [from late 14th c.]
    Synonym: toot
  2. (obsolete, intransitive) To break wind. [from 18th c.]
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:flatulate
  3. (informal, intransitive) To defecate.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:defecate
    His horse pooped right in the middle of the parade.
    1. (informal, transitive) To defecate in or on something.
      You might want a spare change of underwear in case you poop your pants.
    2. (informal, reflexive) To defecate on one's person.
      You'll poop yourself if you have to walk all five miles home without stopping.
Derived terms
Translations

Noun

poop (countable and uncountable, plural poops)

  1. (informal) Fecal matter; feces. [from the 18th c.]
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:feces
    The dog poop is on the grass.
  2. The sound of a steam engine's whistle, typically low-pitched.
    • 2001, Rev. W. Awdry, Thomas the tank engine collection : a unique collection of stories from the railway series - p. 157 - Egmont Books, Limited, Aug 15, 2001:
      Two minutes passed - five - seven - ten. "Poop! Poop!" Everyone knew that whistle, and a mighty cheer went up as the Queen's train glided into the station.
  3. (Internet slang) Clipping of YouTube poop (video mashup).
    Alternative form: Poop
    • 2012 November 3, Brad Evan Rosen, “YouTube Poop: Meme as Art, Community – by “William A – YLT2012””, in Yale Law Tech[1]:
      The resulting video (called a “poop”) subverts its original content by slicing and dicing the video and audio, adding visual effects, and mashing several videos into one.
    • 2020 March 3, Zack O'Malley Greenburg, “YouTube Poop And The ‘Sanic’ Boom: Digesting The Strangest Slice Of Google’s $15B Video Business”, in Forbes[2]:
      And nobody really set out to design YTP to work this way—only a fraction of YTPs ever succeed in releasing enough neurochemicals, and those are the videos that get elevated and then remixed into a new round of poops.
Derived terms
Descendants
  • Russian: пуп (pup)
Translations

Interjection

poop

  1. (childish, euphemistic) Expressing annoyed disappointment.
    Poop. The copier's broken again.
    • 1986 July 29, Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes (comic):
      I don't need him for a friend. I can have fun by myself! ... Poop.
Usage notes
  • Apart from the standalone interjection, poop and phrases containing it may be used to replace various obscene words, either to reach a young audience or for humorous effect.
  • You realize the machine is all pooped up again, right? It's not going to work.
  • 2020 December, Invader Zim Comics[3]:
    What the poop, Chammy?! Not everything has to be best friends, especially not those things!
  • 2022, Rachel Wenitsky, David Sidorov, Good Dogs on a Bad Day[4], page 55:
    "I'm neither," King moaned. "I just really pooped on it this time, and now Erin will be mad at me forever!"

Etymology 2

Recorded in World War II (1941) Army slang poop sheet (up-to-date information), itself of uncertain origin, perhaps toilet paper (referring to etymology 1).

Noun

poop (uncountable)

  1. A set of data or general information, written or spoken, usually concerning machinery or a process.
    Here’s the info paper with the poop on that carburetor.
    • 2002, J. Sander, Runoff, page 236:
      If Exxon has already made a find, and someone knows about it, they'd be the most likely to be directing the show. We just need to discover who has ties to the D.O.F and is close enough to Exxon to have the inside poop.

Etymology 3

Uncertain, perhaps sound imitation.

Verb

poop (third-person singular simple present poops, present participle pooping, simple past and past participle pooped)

  1. (transitive) To tire, exhaust. [from early 20th c.]
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:tire
    I'm pooped from working so hard.
  2. (reflexive) (with out) To become tired and exhausted.
    Synonym: poop out
    He pooped out a few strides from the finish line.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 4

From Middle English poupe, pope, from Old French pope, poupe, pouppe, from Italian poppa, from Vulgar Latin *puppa, from Latin puppis, all meaning “stern of a ship”.

Alternative forms

Noun

poop (countable and uncountable, plural poops)

  1. (nautical) The stern of a ship.
    Synonym: stern
    Antonym: bow
  2. (nautical) The poop deck.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

poop (third-person singular simple present poops, present participle pooping, simple past and past participle pooped)

  1. (transitive) To break seawater with the poop (stern) of a vessel, especially the poop deck.
  2. (transitive) To break over the stern of (a vessel).
    We were pooped within hailing of the quay and were nearly sunk.
    • 1819, James Hardy Vaux, chapter 18, in Memoirs of James Hardy Vaux, volume 1, page 207:
      Another night, as we were scudding before a heavy gale of wind, and a tremendous sea rolling after us, we had the misfortune to be pooped, as the phrase is, by a wave or sea striking our stern, which stove in the cabin-windows, and rushing impetuously through the cabin, and along the main-deck, bore down all before it.
    • 1838, Robert Walsh, The Museum of Foreign Literature, Science, and Art: Volume 33[5], page 376:
      Pooping is a hazard of another nature, and is also peculiar to the process of scudding. It merely means the ship's being overtaken by waters while running from them, when the crest of a sea, broken by the resistance, is thrown inboard over the taffrail or quarter.
Derived terms

Etymology 5

Uncertain, perhaps a shortening of nincompoop.

Noun

poop (plural poops)

  1. (informal) A stupid or ineffectual person.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:idler
    • 1976, Kurt Vonnegut, chapter 48, in Slapstick, Delacorte Press, page 224:
      Aside from battles, the history of nations seemed to consist of nothing but powerless old poops like myself, heavily medicated and vaguely beloved in the long ago, coming to kiss the boots of young psychopaths.
Translations

Etymology 6

Likely from French poupe; see poppyhead.

Noun

poop (plural poops)

  1. (obsolete) A poppyhead finial seen on church pews and occasionally on other types of seating benches.

Anagrams