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goof

verb · noun

Simple meaning

Commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

goof
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɡuf

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. US

    Commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake

  2. us

    To engage in mischief.

noun

  1. usinformal

    A mistake or error.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient
Frequency
Rare
Typical Use
Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake

Used this way, goof is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Slightly negative
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Critical or judgemental
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

goof ballholy goofgoof troop

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • boob

    To make a mistake.

  • blunder

    To make a big mistake, especially when it is careless or stupid.

  • sin

    To commit a sin.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • goofynounDerived noun

    A cartoon character created by Walt Disney.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • goof-proofverbCompound term

    Proof against human misuse or error.

  • goofing offnounCompound term

    The evasion of work or duty.

  • goof-offnounCompound term

    An idle worthless person.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: mistake or error

sinblunder

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.