gooseflesh

or goose flesh

[ goos-flesh ]

/ ˈgusˌflɛʃ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for gooseflesh on Thesaurus.com

noun

goose bumps.

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of gooseflesh

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

How to use gooseflesh in a sentence

There was deep brown flesh, and bronze flesh, and pallid white flesh, and flesh turned red from the hot sun.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Flesh encircled him at the main pool of the Paradise Hotel and Residences at Boca.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It also contains some clunky passages of adultery, temptations of the flesh, and general sexual awkwardness.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
His flesh is sagging a bit, but he is still trim and looks lean, sinewy and tough.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

He carried around a hundred pounds too many most of his life, a great buffer of flesh between himself and the world.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is full of poetic feeling, and the flesh tints are unusually natural.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
Such things happen to all flesh, from man even to beast, and upon sinners are sevenfold more.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Woe to the man that first did teach the cursed steel to bite in his own flesh, and make way to the living spirit.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
In fact, on the palm a small drop of blood showed distinctly against the firm, pink flesh.
Uncanny Tales|Various
And as the fat taken away from the flesh, so was David chosen from among the children of Israel.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

British Dictionary definitions for gooseflesh

goose flesh

noun

the bumpy condition of the skin induced by cold, fear, etc, caused by contraction of the muscles at the base of the hair follicles with consequent erection of papillae: so called because of the resemblance to the skin of a freshly-plucked fowlAlso called: goose bumps, goose pimples, goose skin

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