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Glite Dictionary
peekaboo

peekaboo

10 2.0
A simple game where an adult hides their face and then shows it to make a young child laugh
  • noun
  • /ˈpikəˌbu/
  • Baby Talk
translation icon : cucú
  • The baby laughed joyfully every time we played peekaboo during our playtime.
  • play peekaboo
  • peekaboo game
  • peekaboo with your baby

And the baby starts wanting to play peekaboo with me with the smock, with the tit.

Examples

  • She watches yellow and brown ducklings grow stronger as they play peekaboo behind the snapdragons.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • But first, it's time to play a little game of peekaboo

    Speed Racer (2008)

  • - Playing peekaboo with Mommy and Daddy.

    Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)

  • No, no, no, I don't want to play peekaboo.

    Curious George (2006)

  • Or they play clap-hands or peekaboo; mother and baby laugh.

    Academic text (1998)

  • We play peekaboo and toss his lovey in and out of the crib, which he finds hilarious.

    Blog text (29)

  • Older babies will love coming in and out—playing peekaboo!

    Blog text (5)

  • Peekaboo style games are one of the first things everybody seems to play with infants, and the "rules" are very clear: it is about meeting eye gaze.

    Blog text (22)

  • My sister loves to play peekaboo, hiding her face behind her hands and shouting 'boo!'

  • During the party, the children entertained themselves with a game of peekaboo as they giggled with delight.

Synonyms

child's game
vspeekaboo
3 1.0

A simple game that children play for fun

refers to a specific hiding and sudden reveal game for very young children
bopeep
vspeekaboo
  • Archaic
9.9

A game for young children where someone hides their face then suddenly shows it to make them laugh

is the same play but known by another traditional name

How Childlike

peekaboo
  • Baby Talk
10 2.0
hide-and-seek
48 1.0
child's game
3 1.0
game
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

peekaboo singular
peekaboos plural

Morphology

peekaboo = peek + boo (transparent) = peek + a + boo

The compound clearly combines the actions/words 'peek' and 'boo' (with a linking 'a') to name the children's game of briefly hiding and revealing one's face to surprise a child.

Etymology

Peekaboo comes from joining peek, which means 'to look quickly', and boo, the short 'boo!' sound people use to surprise someone. So playing peekaboo is literally peeking and then suddenly showing your face and saying 'boo!', which is why it makes babies laugh.