boob
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a slang word for a woman's breast.
n.a slang term for the female breast. Informal and often considered vulgar in professional contexts.
Simple“She felt uncomfortable when the men at the bar made a joke about her boobs.”
In context“The tabloid was criticised for its focus on the actress's physical appearance, specifically for publishing invasive photos of her boobs while she was on holiday.”
Teacher's tipWhile common in casual speech among friends, this term is vulgar and should be avoided in any formal, academic, or professional setting.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a silly or embarrassing mistake.
n.an informal term for a blunder or error. Primarily used in British English.
Simple“I made a bit of a boob by sending the email to the wrong person.”
In context“The presenter made a massive boob during the live broadcast by mispronouncing the prime minister's name.”
UsageOften used in the phrase 'to make a boob'.
Antonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
n.a person who is silly or not very smart.
n.a person regarded as stupid or foolish. This sense is somewhat dated in modern American English.
Simple“Don't be such a boob; everyone knows that's not how the machine works.”
In context“The protagonist was portrayed as a well-meaning boob who constantly stumbled into success despite his lack of intelligence.”
Antonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
v.to make a silly error.
v.to commit a blunder or mistake. Intransitive use, primarily British.
Simple“The goalkeeper really boobed when he let that easy ball roll into the net.”
In context“The administration admitted they had boobed significantly regarding the new tax policy implementation.”
Clipped form of booby (“fool”). Appeared near the beginning of the twentieth century; more information at booby § Etymology 1.
Clipped form of booby (“breast”). Appeared from the 20th century; more information at booby § Etymology 2.
Apparently shortened from booby-hatch.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.