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goof - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Perhaps from dialectal English goff (“foolish clown”), from earlier goffe, in which case further etymology is uncertain.

Perhaps from Middle English goffen (“to speak in a frivolous manner”), possibly from Old English gaf, ġegaf (“base; wanton; lewd”, adj), ġegaf (“buffoonery; scurrility”, noun), gaffetung, golfettung (“buffoonery; mockery”). Compare English dialectal gauffin (“lightheaded; foolish; giddy”), Scots gaff, gawf (“to talk loudly; babble”), Scots gaffaw (“a loud laugh”).

Alternatively, perhaps from Middle French goffe (“awkward; stupid”). Compare also Spanish gofo, Italian goffo.

goof (plural goofs)

  1. (US, informal) A mistake or error.

    I made a goof in that last calculation.

    Synonyms: blooper, boo-boo, error, faux pas, fluff, gaffe, lapse, mistake, slip, stumble, thinko; see also Thesaurus:error
    1. (US, cinematography, informal) An error made during production which finds its way into the final release.
  2. (US, Canada, MTE, informal) A foolish and/or silly person; a goofball.

    Your little brother is a total goof.

  3. (Canada, prison slang) A rapist.

a mistake or error

an error made during production which finds its way into the final release

a foolish person

child molester

goof (third-person singular simple present goofs, present participle goofing, simple past and past participle goofed)

  1. (US) To make a mistake.

    It's my fault. I goofed.

    • 1986 August 9, “Attention Art World”, in Gay Community News, page 13:

      GCN is in a sticky situation because we goofed and bought 10 pounds of a type of wax that we cannot use.

  2. (US) To engage in mischief.
    Synonym: goof around

    We were just goofing by painting the neighbor's cat green.

to make a mistake