goose
[ goos ]
/ gus /
noun, plural geese [gees] /gis/ for 1, 2, 4, 8; goos·es for 5-7.
verb (used with object), goosed, goos·ing.
Slang. to poke (a person) between the buttocks to startle.
Informal.
- to prod or urge to action or an emotional reaction: The promise of time off may goose the workers and increase profits.
- to strengthen or improve (often followed by up): Let's goose up the stew with some wine.
- to increase; raise (often followed by up): to goose up government loans in weak industries.
- to give a spurt of fuel to (a motor) to increase speed.
QUIZZES
THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST
In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?
Question 1 of 10
seclusion
Idioms for goose
cook someone's goose, Informal. to ruin someone's hopes, plans, chances, etc.: His goose was cooked when they found the stolen gems in his pocket.
Origin of goose
First recorded before 1000; Middle English gose, goos, Old English gōs (plural gēs ); cognate with German Gans, Old Norse gās; compare Sanskrit haṅsa, Greek chḗn, Latin ānser
OTHER WORDS FROM goose
gooselike, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
British Dictionary definitions for goose (1 of 2)
goose1
/ (ɡuːs) /
noun plural geese (ɡiːs)
Word Origin for goose
Old English gōs; related to Old Norse gās, Old High German gans, Old Irish gēiss swan, Greek khēn, Sanskrit hainsas
British Dictionary definitions for goose (2 of 2)
goose2
/ (ɡuːs) slang /
verb
(tr) to prod (a person) playfully in the behind
noun plural gooses
a playful prod in the behind
Word Origin for goose
C19: from goose 1, probably from a comparison with the jabbing of a goose's bill
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for goose
goose
One's chances are ruined: “After the recent disclosures of foul play, political analysts feel that the candidate's goose is now thoroughly cooked.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with goose
goose
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.