to hoodoo
9.9
To cause someone or something to have bad luck
- verb
- /ˈhuːduː/
- Archaic
:
traer mala suerte a
- My grandmother warned me that the old house might hoodoo anyone who spends the night there.
Examples
-
He felt that his bad luck in gambling was due to someone trying to hoodoo him.
-
Some people believe that walking under a ladder can hoodoo their luck.
-
...please don't hoodoo the boy.
Synonyms
to curse
vsto hoodoo
244
4.8
To wish harm on someone using magic
causes bad luck rather than expressing a wish or prayer
207
7.6
To wish bad things to happen to someone by calling on a magic power
causes misfortune without needing a deliberate prayer or invocation
36
7.5
To cause bad luck for someone or something by saying something
causes misfortune generally without a spoken or superstitious act
Antonyms
How Harmful
Surface Forms
Etymology
To hoodoo someone means to bring bad luck, and this verb comes from the noun for magic or a charm. So to hoodoo is to put a curse or bad spell on someone, which is why it means 'cause misfortune'.