goo

American  

[goo] / gu /

noun

Informal.

1. a thick or sticky substance.

   Wash that goo off your hands.

2. maudlin sentimentality.

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goo British  

/ ɡuː /

noun

1. a sticky or viscous substance

2. coy or sentimental language or ideas

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Etymology

Origin of goo

1910–15, perhaps short for burgoo

Explanation

Any kind of drippy, yucky, gunky stuff can be called goo. Some people love tapioca pudding, while others feel that it's nothing but lumpy goo. The filling in a donut is one kind of goo — custard or jelly that oozes out when you take a bite. An unidentified blob of slime on the sidewalk or the glistening trail left behind by a slug, are other, much less appealing kinds of goo. Goo was coined in the US, but its origins beyond that are unclear. Many experts think gooey came first, possibly shortened from the now-obsolete burgoo, or "porridge."

Example Sentences

Feathers float over lawns and white goo covers areas where the birds congregate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026

When the ROV returns, there is an excited dash for the samples including seawater, sediment and a forearm-length sea lily coated with dripping orange goo.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

Trefry likened this awkward time of life to the stage in a butterfly’s development when a caterpillar disappears inside a chrysalis and dissolves into goo before reforming into something entirely new.

From Salon • Nov. 24, 2025

Forte says as blueberry goo oozes out of his pastry.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2025

“This doesn’t look like the moo goo gai pan I usually get. This looks spicy. You know I don’t like spicy food, Melissa.”

From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm

Related Words

• gunk
• muck
• sludge