boob

¹ American  

[boob] / bub /

noun

1. a stupid person; fool; dunce.

2. British. a blunder; mistake.

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verb (used without object)

1. British. to blunder.

boob ² American  

[boob] / bub /

noun

Slang.

1. a female breast.

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boob ¹ British  

/ buːb /

noun

1. an ignorant or foolish person; booby

2. an embarrassing mistake; blunder

3. a female breast

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verb

1. (intr) to make a blunder

boob ² British  

/ buːb /

noun

1. a prison

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adjective

1. of poor quality, similar to that provided in prison

   boob coffee

Etymology

Origin of boob¹

1905–10, back formation from booby ¹

Origin of boob²

First recorded in 1945–50; apparently back formation from booby ²

Explanation

Boob is a word for a woman's breast — it's also a word for an idiot. So if you're staring at a lady's boobs, you probably look like a boob. This is a very common slang word that's not really inappropriate. Nobody is going to get too mad about you using the word boob, though breast is definitely more anatomically correct. The other meaning of boob is similar to dope, dumbbell, dummy, pinhead, and numbskull. This meaning is also pretty harmless. Calling someone a boob is only a little insulting — not quite fighting words.

Example Sentences

"I've embraced my boob journey, it's something that's now part of my sporting journey."

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

These babies even share the mighty boob: breaking a "rule" of mammal biology, naked mole rats do not have just around half as many babies as they have mammary glands.

From Salon • May 11, 2025

I’m proud that I have no vanity in my hair or Botox or plastic surgery or a boob job at this point.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2024

“We worked so much at night, and she would sit around and watch the boob tube,” Warner admitted.

From Washington Post • Dec. 6, 2022

And even harder to imagine my mother calling Malcolm a boob.

From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson

Related Words

• nitwit