booby

¹ American  

[boo-bee] / ˈbu bi /

noun

plural

boobies

1. a stupid person; dunce.

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

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booby ² American  

[boo-bee] / ˈbu bi /

noun

Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.

plural

boobies

1. a female breast.

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booby British  

/ ˈbuːbɪ /

noun

1. an ignorant or foolish person

2. the losing player in a game

3. 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

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Other Word Forms

• boobyish adjective

Etymology

Origin of booby¹

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

Origin of booby²

1930–35, probably variant of earlier bubby

Example Sentences

Engineers with excavating equipment would be needed to dig through the tons of debris blocking entrances to Iran’s subterranean nuclear complexes and check for mines and booby traps.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

According to police, often the sites targeted are remote, treacherous even, and reminiscent of an Indiana Jones expedition - minus the booby traps.

From BBC • Aug. 16, 2025

When I asked a senior White House official if they could speak to whether or not similar booby traps were contained in American communication devices I was rebuked; “I can’t speak to that.”

From Salon • Sep. 19, 2024

Many are rigged with booby traps, according to the Israeli military.

From New York Times • Jan. 20, 2024

Dine-ba-whoa-blehi, “man trap,” was our word for a booby trap.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac