goof

1 of 2

noun

ˈgüf 

1

: a silly or stupid person

2

: blunder

goof

2 of 2

verb

goofed; goofing; goofs

intransitive verb

1

a

: to spend time idly or foolishly

—usually used with off

goofing off instead of working

b

: to engage in playful activity

—usually used with around

goofing around after school

2

: to make a usually foolish or careless mistake : blunder

—often used with up

transitive verb

: to make a mess of : bungle

—usually used with up

goofed up the assignment

Phrases

goof on

slang

: to make fun of : kid, put on

you're goofing on me, right?

Synonyms

Noun

• blunder
• bobble
• boo-boo
• boob [British]
• brick
• clanger [British]
• clinker
• error
• fault
• flub
• fluff
• fumble
• gaff
• gaffe
• inaccuracy
• lapse
• miscue
• misstep
• mistake
• oversight
• screwup
• slip
• slipup
• stumble
• trip

Verb

• bum
• chill
• dally
• dawdle
• dillydally
• drone
• footle
• hack (around)
• hang (around or out)
• hang about [British]
• idle
• kick around
• kick back
• laze
• lazy
• loaf
• loll
• lounge
• veg out

Examples of goof in a Sentence

Noun

Don't be such a goof.

I made a major goof.

Verb

It was clear that someone had goofed.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Stewart threatens to steal the spotlight as his typically polite, good-natured goof, and Grant somehow makes an awful character immensely likable. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 11 Aug. 2024

Also established in Loki — and so many Marvel movies that deal with the splintering multiverse — the TVA are susceptible to serious goofs. —Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 25 July 2024

Verb

While employees in the office might kill time messaging friends or flipping through TikTok, remote workers take advantage of being far from the watchful gaze of bosses to chip away at personal to-do lists or to goof off. —Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 18 Sep. 2024

Initially recreating the first half scene-for-scene before very quickly goofing on that idea as well, Kitano uses our immediate familiarity to let chaos reign. —Ben Croll, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably alteration of English dialect goff simpleton

First Known Use

Noun

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1932, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing goof

• goof around
• goof-off
• goof on

Kids Definition

goof

1 of 2 noun

ˈgüf 

1

: a silly or stupid person

2

: blunder entry 2

goof

2 of 2 verb

1

a

: to spend time foolishly

goofing off instead of working

b

: to engage in a playful activity

goofing around after school

2

: blunder entry 1 sense 2

3

: to make a mess of : bungle

goofed up the assignment

Etymology

Noun

probably an altered form of dialect word goff "simpleton"