goose

1 of 2

noun

ˈgüs 

plural geese ˈgēs 

1

a

: any of numerous large waterfowl (family Anatidae) that are intermediate between the swans and ducks and have long necks, feathered lores, and reticulate tarsi

b

: a female goose as distinguished from a gander

2

: simpleton, dolt

3

plural gooses : a tailor's smoothing iron with a gooseneck handle

4

plural gooses : a poke between the buttocks

goose

2 of 2

verb

goosed; goosing

transitive verb

1

: to poke between the buttocks with an upward thrust

2

: to increase the activity, speed, power, intensity, or amount of : spur

an effort to goose newsstand sales

Synonyms

Noun

• berk [British]
• booby
• charlie [British]
• charley
• cuckoo
• ding-a-ling
• ding-dong
• dingbat
• dipstick
• doofus [slang]
• featherhead
• fool
• git [British]
• half-wit
• jackass
• lunatic
• mooncalf
• nincompoop
• ninny
• ninnyhammer
• nit [chiefly British]
• nitwit
• nut
• nutcase
• simp
• simpleton
• turkey
• yo-yo

Examples of goose in a Sentence

Noun

don't be such a silly goose—you're dressed just fine for the party

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

However, one taste of genuine chocolate was enough to convince the James Beard Award-winning writer that the soul of cacao still exists, and to send him on a wild goose chase that would take him from the rainforests of Bolivia and Brazil to Belize and Guatemala to track it down in the wild. —Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Dec. 2024

There are also themes for Roz the robot, Brightbill the goose and Fink the fox. —Jon Burlingame, Variety, 1 Dec. 2024

Verb

As a rule, fleece isn’t as compressible as, say, goose down. —Frederick Reimers, Outside Online, 31 Oct. 2024

This one’s an investment, but spend one night sleeping on this luxe, goose down insert and you’ll be hooked. —Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English gos, from Old English gōs; akin to Old High German gans goose, Latin anser, Greek chēn

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing goose

• barnacle goose
• brent goose
• Canada goose
• cook one's goose
• cook someone's goose
• goose bumps
• goose egg
• goose pimples
• goose step
• Hawaiian goose
• kill the golden goose
• snow goose
• the golden goose
• the goose that lays the golden egg
• Their goose was cooked
• what's good for the goose is good for the gander
• what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander
• wild goose chase

Kids Definition

goose

noun

ˈgüs

plural geese

ˈgēs

1

a

: any of numerous birds with long necks that are larger than the related ducks and smaller than swans

b

: a female goose in contrast to a gander

2

: a person lacking in common sense

3

plural gooses : an iron with a gooseneck handle used by tailors for smoothing clothes