goof

[ goof ]

/ guf /

Slang.

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verb (used without object)

to blunder; make an error, misjudgment, etc.

to waste or kill time; evade work or responsibility (often followed by off or around): Exam week is not a time to goof off. We goofed around till train time.

verb (used with object)

to spoil or make a mess of (something); botch; bungle (often followed by up): You really goofed up the job.

noun

a foolish or stupid person.

a mistake or blunder, especially one due to carelessness.

a source of fun or cause for amusement: We short-sheeted his bunk just for a goof.

Verb Phrases

goof on, Slang. to tease, ridicule, or mock; make fun of.

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Origin of goof

1915–20; apparently variant of obsolete goff dolt <Middle French goffe awkward, stupid

Words nearby goof

goody, Goodyear, goody-goody, goody two shoes, gooey, goof, goofball, go off, go off half-cocked, go off the deep end, goof-off

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use goof in a sentence

A UConn basketball fan drank hot sauce on Twitter as a goof.
A sick mother, a loving son, a signed Ovechkin jersey — and how the Caps tried to help|Kyle Melnick|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
Big payday at stake—players expected to leave goof butts home.
Up to a Point: P.J. O’Rourke on SOTU, the Super Bowl and Nukes|P. J. O’Rourke|January 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He plays a goof-off New York City cop in the show, which will air before New Girl on Tuesday nights.
Andy Samberg and Lonely Island Move On From ‘Saturday Night Live’|Kevin Fallon|June 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“She sort of plays the goof a little bit and he plays off her,” says Clemente.
Bright Future for Fox News Anchor Megyn Kelly, Election Night Star|Howard Kurtz|November 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Preceding Die Antwoord, Lakers star Ron Artest joined Kimmel, and demonstrated how to do a hoax, or an act, or a goof, badly.
Too Explicit for YouTube|Richard Rushfield|October 21, 2010|DAILY BEAST
And on Tuesday, admissions director Mae Brown apologized for the goof, calling it an “administrative error.”
So, Who Got In This Year?|Kathleen Kingsbury|April 2, 2009|DAILY BEAST
I just want to be sure somebody didn't goof and ring a special in here.
Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
That picture, rising before my eyes, didn't give me much confidence in the unfortunate goof's ability to woo and win, I must say.
Right Ho, Jeeves|P. G. Wodehouse
We know we're gonna get 'em eventually, because we know they're gonna goof up eventually, and then we'll have 'em.
Nor Iron Bars a Cage....|Gordon Randall Garrett
Or was p. 39 this all goof ball sentiment in his own mind, to make himself feel real modest?
The Planet Strappers|Raymond Zinke Gallun
It was easier to assume that the goof-ups were being done deliberately.
Occasion for Disaster|Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for goof

goof

/ (ɡuːf) informal /

noun

a foolish error or mistake

a stupid person

verb

to bungle (something); botch

(intr; often foll by about or around) to fool (around); mess (about)

(tr) to dope with drugs

(intr often foll by off) US and Canadian to waste time; idle

Word Origin for goof

C20: probably from (dialect) goff simpleton, from Old French goffe clumsy, from Italian goffo, of obscure origin

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

goof

Origin of goof

Words nearby goof

Words related to goof

How to use goof in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for goof

Word Origin for goof