galoot
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of galoot
First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain
Explanation
A galoot is a clumsy, foolish, or silly person. If your brother stumbles and drops an entire pizza on the kitchen floor, you'll be tempted to call him a galoot. Galoot is an informal word for a fool or a goofy guy. Many TV and film comedies feature a character who's a galoot, someone to laugh at for his stupidity or clumsiness. This word is used in both the US and Scotland, and its origin is uncertain, although it most likely began as nautical slang for "green" or new sailors, especially if they were marines or soldiers.
Vocabulary lists containing galoot
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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A Long Way from Chicago
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American Gods
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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.
They called him Mongo, after the illiterate galoot played by Alex Karras in the Mel Brooks movie “Blazing Saddles.”
From New York Times • Jan. 16, 2020
As far as television executives are concerned, there are worse things than being a pleasant, inoffensive galoot.
From Slate • Nov. 28, 2018
Naturally, Ralph, goodhearted galoot that he is, will learn the error of trying to control his friends, and also the folly of trying to commodify things such as respect and affirmation.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2018
It’s adorable, and James Taylor is a big old good-natured galoot who is obviously way too nice for JoJo.
From Time • Jun. 6, 2016
He was a big, tall galoot of a kid with narrow eyes.
From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck
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.
