What does "goose" mean?

1. (the bird) a large water bird with a long neck that is bigger than a duck. 2. (silly person) a person who is acting a bit silly or foolish. 3. (meat) the meat of a goose used for food. 4. (to poke) to quickly poke or pinch someone on their bottom as a joke. 5. (to stimulate or boost) to give something a boost or to make it move faster.

goose — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "Look at those gooses in the park."?

No — say "Look at those geese in the park.". The plural of goose is geese.

Word

01the bird

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

n. a large water bird with a long neck that is bigger than a duck.

n. any of various large grazing waterfowl of the family Anatidae, characterized by a long neck and webbed feet.

“A large white goose was swimming slowly across the pond.”

“The flock of geese flew in a perfect V-formation as they began their annual migration south for the winter.”

Pitfall

Look at those gooses in the park.

Look at those geese in the park.

The plural of goose is geese.

Synonyms

waterfowl

02silly person

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Informal · Humorous

n. a person who is acting a bit silly or foolish.

n. a person who behaves in a foolish or lighthearted manner.

“Don't be such a goose; you know I was only joking.”

“He felt like a bit of a goose after realizing he had been wearing his jumper inside out all morning.”

Synonyms

fool clownnitwit

03meat

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Cooking

n. the meat of a goose used for food.

n. the flesh of the goose prepared as culinary meat.

“Many families in Europe serve roast goose for Christmas dinner.”

“The chef recommended the slow-roasted goose, served with a side of tart apple sauce to balance the richness of the meat.”

Synonyms

poultry

04to poke

C1 · Advanced Slang · Informal

v. to quickly poke or pinch someone on their bottom as a joke.

v. to sharply poke or pinch a person in the buttocks, typically as a prank.

“He tried to goose his friend as a prank, but his friend saw him coming.”

“The locker-room antics often involved teammates trying to goose one another when they weren't paying attention.”

Usage

This verb is transitive and requires a direct object.

Synonyms

poke prod

05to stimulate or boost

C1 · Advanced Slang · American English

v. to give something a boost or to make it move faster.

v. to stimulate, spur, or increase the activity or speed of something.

“The company tried to goose sales by offering a huge discount.”

“The central bank's decision to lower interest rates was a clear attempt to goose the sluggish economy before the election.”

Synonyms

boost stimulate rev

Antonyms

dampen hinder

PIE word *ǵʰh₂éns From Middle English goos, gos, from Old English gōs, from Proto-West Germanic gans, from Proto-Germanic gans, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰh₂éns. Cognates Compare West Frisian goes, North Frisian göis (also Fering-Öömrang dialect North Frisian gus; Sölring dialect North Frisian Guus; Heligoland dialect North Frisian gus), Low German Goos, Gans, Dutch gans, German Gans, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian gås, Icelandic gæs, Irish gé, Latin ānser, Latvian zùoss, Russian гусь (gusʹ), Albanian gatë, Ancient Greek χήν (khḗn), Avestan 𐬰𐬁 (zā), Sanskrit हंस (haṃsá). * The tailor's iron is so called from the likeness of the handle to the neck of a goose.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Dove Duck gosling Pigeon swan