gopher

1 of 2

noun (1)

go·​pher ˈgō-fər 

1

: a burrowing land tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) of the southern U.S.

broadly : any of several related land tortoises

called also gopher tortoise

2

a

: any of a family (Geomyidae) of burrowing rodents of western North America, Central America, and the southern U.S. that are the size of a large rat and have large cheek pouches opening beside the mouth

called also pocket gopher

b

: any of several small ground squirrels (genus Spermophilus) of the prairie region of North America

3

: gopher ball

Illustration of gopher

• gopher 2a

gopher

2 of 2

noun (2)

go·​pher

less common spelling of gofer

informal

: an employee whose duties include running errands : lackey

Examples of gopher in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The area is also an important habitat for scrub jays, wading birds, burrowing owls, raccoons, opossums, rabbits and gopher tortoises. —Noël Fletcher, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024

An act of vandalism could have a lasting effect on a pair of gopher tortoises in southwest Florida. —Rachel McRady, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024

While these spaces contained only a handful of struggling plants that likely sprouted from seeds dropped by birds, the gophers were allowed to do what gophers do best for 24 hours. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024

Over four decades later, new soil samples taken from the same regions still indicated a better fungi and bacteria presence than the areas that did not host gophers. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing gopher

• gopher ball
• gopher snake
• pocket gopher

Kids Definition

gopher

noun

go·​pher

ˈgō-fər

1

: a burrowing land tortoise of the southern U.S.

2

a

: any of several burrowing American rodents with large cheek pouches

called also pocket gopher

b

: a small striped ground squirrel of the prairie region of the U.S.