goober

1 of 2

noun (1)

goo·​ber ˈgü-bər How to pronounce goober (audio)
ˈgu̇-
Southern US and Midland US
: peanut

goober

2 of 2

noun (2)

slang
: a naive, ignorant, or foolish person

Examples of goober in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
In black and white, my goober cats are stunning panthers. Victoria Song, The Verge, 25 Sep. 2024 What wasn’t okay was the corporate 5G hype that treated us like goobers who fall for any promise of new and awesome tech. Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 13 June 2023 This messy firebrand was now out there sounding like a damn goober. Allison P. Davis, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2021 Our goober lawmakers may not be able to handle the truth. J.d. Crowe | Jdcrowe@al.com, al, 17 June 2021 Kieran Culkin, book-spitter Sarah Snook, J. Smith-Cameron, tall goober Nicholas Braun, Matthew Macfadyen, Alan Ruck, and Rob Yang are all set to return as well. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

of Bantu origin; akin to Kimbundu ŋguba peanut

Noun (2)

earlier slang goob, goober kiss, pimple, penis, probably of imitative origin

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1834, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1980, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of goober was in 1834

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near goober

Cite this Entry

“Goober.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goober. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

goober

noun
dialect

More from Merriam-Webster on goober

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!