na-na na-na boo-boo
A taunt or putdown, typically used to indicate that the speaker believes he or she has beaten the listener in a competition or is better in some other way or in a general sense; or an expression of satisfaction that the listener has received some supposedly deserved minor punishment or misfortune (that is to say, schadenfreude).
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He shouted na-na na-na boo-boo after winning the race.”
“When the rival team finally lost the game, the fans chanted na-na na-na boo-boo from the stands.”
“The little girl stuck out her tongue and sang na-na na-na boo-boo because she got the last piece of cake while her friend got none.”
“The child could not resist offering a spiteful na-na na-na boo-boo once he realized his brother had been caught breaking the rules.”
disputed origin
Apparently from the longer childish playground taunt sung to a tune particular to the taunt: : I'm better than you, : na-na, na-na, boo-boo, : stick your head in doo-doo. Na-na and boo-boo may be imitations of sounds a baby or young toddler might make. Boo-boo may also indicate boo-boo, a minor injury which leaves a mark on a child such as a scraped knee.
Last updated August 10, 2026