booby
1 Americannoun
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boobies
plural
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a stupid person; dunce.
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a gannet of the genus Sula, having a bright bill, bright feet, or both: some are endangered.
noun
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boobies
plural
noun
-
an ignorant or foolish person
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the losing player in a game
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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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Locals redirected the Allies to nearby Licata and told them about “beach minefields, maritime conditions, and port-installation booby traps.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
According to the IDF, troops were searching buildings for Hamas using a dog - these animals are regularly used to hunt for fighters, booby traps, explosives and weapons.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2024
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
Ours pointed out fluffy booby hatchlings in the low branches of trees on one motu, and showed us up close the massive coconut crabs whose kind is coming back from the vanishing point.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
They assume the booby trap was faulty, but that the tribute who blew up the supplies was killed doing it.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
The best sequence in the whole film is their encounter with two posh suburbanites who simply can’t imagine they’re in danger, bounding right up to them like the Galapagos Islands’ blue-footed boobies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025
Researchers have observed siblings killing each other—siblicide—in many kinds of birds, including Verreaux’s eagles, ospreys, and blue-footed boobies.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 15, 2024
The Galápagos Islands are famed as a bizarre menagerie of blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises and seafaring iguanas.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 2, 2023
Red-footed boobies and great frigatebirds, for instance, often take to the wing and ascend to high altitudes, allowing storms to pass below, whereas Eastern brown pelicans simply sit them out, remaining grounded until conditions improve.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2023
Frightful left the penguins and blue-footed boobies to their caves and niches and rounded the island, looking for shelter.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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