goat
1 Americannoun
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any of numerous agile, hollow-horned ruminants of the genus Capra, of the family Bovidae, closely related to the sheep, found native in rocky and mountainous regions of the Old World, and widely distributed in domesticated varieties.
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any of various related animals, as the Rocky Mountain goat.
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Astronomy, Astrology. Goat, the constellation or sign Capricorn.
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Also the goat a scapegoat or victim.
When the police came, he was left behind to be the goat.
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a licentious or lecherous man; lecher.
idioms
Or G.O.A.T.
noun
noun
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any sure-footed agile bovid mammal of the genus Capra, naturally inhabiting rough stony ground in Europe, Asia, and N Africa, typically having a brown-grey colouring and a beard. Domesticated varieties ( C. hircus ) are reared for milk, meat, and wool
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short for Rocky Mountain goat
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informal a lecherous man
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a bad or inferior member of any group (esp in the phrase separate the sheep from the goats )
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short for scapegoat
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to fool around
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slang to cause annoyance to someone
noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other Word Forms
- goatlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of goat1
First recorded before 900; Middle English got, Old English gāt; cognate with Gothic gaits, Old Norse geit, German Geiss; akin to Latin haedus “young goat, kid”
Origin of GOAT2
First recorded in 1965–70; originally the name of a company founded by Muhammad Ali, who applied the term greatest of all time to himself
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.
Bluetongue virus affects cattle, goats, sheep, deer and camelids such as llamas and alpacas.
From BBC
On 12 November veterinary officials culled all the livestock after a case of sheep and goat pox was detected.
From BBC
Livestock farmers are also demanding compensation following the loss of over 400,000 sheep and goats to the sheep pox outbreak, all slaughtered to stop the disease.
From Barron's
In addition to turkeys, residents include cows, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, llamas and emus.
From Los Angeles Times
Mr Saifi, alleged the case was meant to "pressurise" the family, noting that a local veterinary report identified the meat as goat, not cow.
From BBC
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.