Entry · catalog no. 4374
boo
/ — /pending
noun · South / nationwide · 2026
✓ Verified
1.
A sweetheart; the person you are with, or almost with. Soft, casual, and intimate.
“That's my boo — we been together since junior year.”
Origin & Attribution
Black American term of endearment, widely traced to French beau by way of Afro-Caribbean speech. Ghost Town DJ's "My Boo" (1996) fixed it on record out of Atlanta; Usher and Alicia Keys' "My Boo" (2004) carried it worldwide.
Region of origin
West
Midwest
N.East
South
The South
South / nationwide · 2026
Spoken by
South / nationwide
$BOOThe Record · cultural traction
▲ Rising0 yrs
ahead of the mainstream
12/100
peak cultural energy
Introduced to English by the culture — logged here before the mainstream caught on.
Cultural usage — the recordMainstream search interest
First used
2026
in the culture
Recorded here
2026
point of first record
Cultural energy indexed from documented usage, search interest, and citation frequency. The recorded date is the archive’s permanent point of record.
Hear it spoken
By region — how it actually sounds
@nolakid
New Orleans, LA
@htxdri
Houston, TX
Contribute your pronunciation
Citations & Sources
■
My Boo, Ghost Town DJ's — recording · 1996
submitted
■
+ Cite a sourceMy Boo, Usher and Alicia Keys — recording · 2004
submitted
See also