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
Noun
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

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'goober.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

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Cite this Entry

“Goober.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goober. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

goober

noun
dialect

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