booby
1 Americannoun
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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
noun
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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
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.
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
The state’s shores offer temperate-weather hiking with views of dramatic cliffs, crashing waves, pelagic birds such as the blue-footed booby and several species of sandpiper, and native wildflowers.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2024
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
For, I cannot adequately express what pain it gave me to think that Estella should show any favour to a contemptible, clumsy, sulky booby, so very far below the average.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
