shoo away
Definition
Verb: - To cause someone or something to leave or go away by making a "shoo" sound or using a similar gesture of dismissal.
Usage
This verb describes the act of chasing off or driving away, typically an animal or an unwanted person, by uttering the exclamation "shoo!" or by waving one's hands. It implies a gentle or non-violent form of expulsion.
Examples
- Verb:
- She had to shoo away the pigeons from the park bench.
- Please shoo away the flies from the food.
Advanced Usage
- "to shoo away doubts/fears": Used metaphorically to mean dismissing negative thoughts or feelings.
- He tried to shoo away the nagging feeling that he had forgotten something important.
Variants and Related Words
- Shoo (verb): The base form, meaning to drive away by saying "shoo".
- He tried to shoo the cat off the car.
- Shoo-in (noun): An entirely different idiom meaning a certain winner. (This is listed separately as it is a compound word with a distinct meaning and not a variant of the phrasal verb "shoo away").
Synonyms
- Chase away
- Drive off
- Scare off
- Dismiss (in the metaphorical sense)
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Shoo off: Functionally identical to "shoo away".
- Can you shoo off those birds from the feeder?
Verb
-
drive away by crying `shoo!'