geek

American  

[geek] / gik /

noun

1. a digital-technology expert or enthusiast (a term of pride as self-reference, but often used disparagingly by others).

2. a person who has excessive enthusiasm for and some expertise about a specialized subject or activity.

   a foreign-film geek.

3. a peculiar person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual, unfashionable, or socially awkward.

4. a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts, as biting off the head of a live chicken.

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verb (used without object)

1. to be overexcited about a specialized subject or activity, or to talk about it with excessive enthusiasm (usually followed byout ).

   I could geek out about sci-fi for hours.

geek British  

/ ɡiːk /

noun

1. a person who is preoccupied with or very knowledgeable about computing

2. a boring and unattractive social misfit

3. a degenerate

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Usage

What is a geek? A geek is a person who is an expert or fan of technology and computers, as in He gave the assignment to the geeks in the IT department. Geek is also used more generally to refer to someone who is especially passionate or knowledgeable about something, as in Shawna is the biggest Star Trek geek I know, going to all the conventions. A geek is also someone who is judged to be too intelligent and socially awkward or just quirky or odd, especially in high school groups, as in At my high school, the geeks got along with the goths but hated the jocks. In the past, the word geek was used to refer specifically to a carnival performer who performed disgusting acts. Today, this usage is incredibly rare, and you can use geek as an insult or endearment, especially when describing yourself.Geek can be used as a verb to mean to express intense enthusiasm about something or to discuss it passionately, as in My friends were all geeking out about the new Spider-Man movie. Example: My dad has always been a baseball geek, telling me all of the stats and who the upcoming stars will be.

Other Word Forms

• geeky adjective

Etymology

Origin of geek

First recorded in 1915–20; probably variant of geck (mainly Scots ) “fool,” from Dutch or Low German gek

Example Sentences

"A geek. That is really what I was at age 12," he admits.

From Barron's

Privacy geeks have been warning of this moment for decades, not just in the realms of science fiction, but even on the pages of Salon, back when a digital magazine was a novel idea.

From Salon

Colonizing Mars is an obsession among certain space geeks.

From The Wall Street Journal

The thinking is that AI will make it easy for a few geeks “vibe coding” to replace their valuable franchises.

From The Wall Street Journal

There is an unforced charm to the way Travolta’s character falls in love with Hollywood — he’s already a movie geek but other elements fall into place for him.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• buffoon
• freak
• nerd
• weirdo