gooney bird

American

[goo-nee burd] / ˈgu ni ˌbɜrd /

Or goony bird

noun

any of several albatrosses, especially the black-footed albatross and the Laysan albatross, occurring on islands in the Pacific Ocean, often near naval bases.
Slang. a foolish or awkward person or thing; goon.

gooney bird British

/ ˈɡuːnɪ /

noun

an informal name for the albatross, esp the black-footed albatross ( Diomedea nigripes )

"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

Etymology

Origin of gooney bird

First recorded in 1940–45; goon

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.

A Laysan albatross, also known as a gooney bird, incubates its eggs on Midway Island in the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in December 2005.

From US News

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023