From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcuckoocuck‧oo1 /ˈkʊkuː $ ˈkuːkuː, ˈkʊ-/ noun [countable] HBBa grey European bird that puts its eggs in other birds’ nests and that makes a sound that sounds like its name
Examples from the Corpus
cuckoo• However, Edgar Chance showed that a cuckoo using a meadow pipit's nest is nearly always attacked while she is laying.• In addition to certain species of cuckoo, there are about 30 species of birds worldwide that are also brood parasites.• This gives the cuckoo more time to find and watch a suitable nest.• The truth is that, as she is laying, the cuckoo removes and eats one of the host's eggs.• Opposite A pair of reed warblers work flat out to keep the young cuckoo satisfied.• Very occasionally the young cuckoo fails to remove its host's eggs and the young cuckoo and chicks are reared together.cuckoocuckoo2 adjective [not before noun] informal CRAZYcrazy or silly You’re completely cuckoo!Examples from the Corpus
cuckoo• So every nation is equally cuckoo.• This may sound cuckoo, but remember the rolling wheel thing.Origin cuckoo1 (1200-1300) Old French cucu, from the sound it makes 