voodoo — English Dictionary

Noun

1. Any of a group of related religious practices found chiefly in and around the Caribbean, particularly in Haiti and Louisiana.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (2)

   Years later, she had found out about the Voodoo drink - a concoction of rum, gunpowder, grave-dirt and human blood. She almost retched as the taste came back to her mouth.

   You cannot understand Haitian Vodou as it is practised today without first knowing something about the culture from which it sprang, and the ways history has shaped religion, and vice versa.

2. The spiritual beliefs of the Ewe/Fon of West Africa, practiced chiefly in Benin and in the south of Togo.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

3. Any sort of magical or irrational approach to a problem.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Derogatory
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   I want a real explanation, not this statistical voodoo.

4. One who practices voodoo; a native sorcerer.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Dated
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   So a reporter of the Boston Herald (U.S.) has 'interviewed' a few local Voodoos. He has seen a dance round a boiling pot, seen some tomfoolery with spiders, and heard a lot of superstitious stories.

Verb

1. To bewitch someone or something using voodoo

   Related words

   hoodoo

   Examples

   He claimed his neighbor had voodooed him.

Noun

1. a charm superstitiously believed to embody magical powers

   Synonyms

   jujuhoodoofetishfetich

   Broader terms

   charmgood luck charm

2. (Haiti) followers of a religion that involves witchcraft and animistic deities

   Broader terms

   cult

3. a religious cult practiced chiefly in Caribbean countries (especially Haiti); involves witchcraft and animistic deities

   Synonyms

   vodounvoodooismhoodooism

   Broader terms

   cultcultusreligious cult

Verb

1. bewitch by or as if by a voodoo

   Broader terms

   hexbewitchglamourwitchenchantjinx