booby

1
[ boo-bee ]

noun,plural boo·bies.
  1. a stupid person; dunce.

  2. a gannet of the genus Sula, having a bright bill, bright feet, or both: some are endangered.

Origin of booby

1
1590–1600; earlier pooby, apparently blend of poop to befool (now obsolete) and baby; (def. 2) perhaps by association with Spanish bobo<Latin balbus stuttering

Other words from booby

  • boo·by·ish, adjective

Other definitions for booby (2 of 2)

booby2
[ boo-bee ]

noun,plural boob·ies.Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.
  1. a female breast.

Origin of booby

2
1930–35, Americanism; probably variant of earlier bubby

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use booby in a sentence

  • All the boys vied with each other in taking places in his coach, to be conducted to the "Land of Boobies."

    Pinocchio | C. Collodi
  • The eggs are chalky white and cannot be distinguished from those of the other Boobies.

    The Bird Book | Chester A. Reed
  • Is has, however, a great number of the birds named Boobies and Man-of-war birds.

  • In the morning about daybreak they arrived safely in the "Land of Boobies."

    Pinocchio | C. Collodi

British Dictionary definitions for booby

booby

/ (ˈbuːbɪ) /


nounplural -bies
  1. an ignorant or foolish person

  2. British the losing player in a game

  1. any of several tropical marine birds of the genus Sula : family Sulidae, order Pelecaniformes (pelicans, cormorants, etc). They have a straight stout bill and the plumage is white with darker markings: Compare gannet

Origin of booby

1
C17: from Spanish bobo, from Latin balbus stammering

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012