# gosling

/ɡˈɒslɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/gosling
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. a young goose

noun · CEFR B2

a baby goose.

For teachers: a young goose before it has developed adult plumage.

- The mother goose led her five small goslings toward the pond.
- We observed a pair of Canada geese protecting their goslings from a nearby predator during our walk along the riverbank.

### 2. a naive person

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary · Archaic

a young person who is foolish or does not have much experience.

For teachers: a young, inexperienced, or foolish person. Often used with a patronizing tone.

- The old sailor laughed at the young gosling who thought the sea would be calm.
- In the play, the protagonist is portrayed as a mere gosling, easily manipulated by the more cynical members of the court.

### 3. a tree flower

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Dialect

a soft, furry flower that grows on trees like willows.

For teachers: a catkin, particularly the soft, downy spike of flowers found on willows or nut trees.

- The children gathered willow goslings to feel their soft, grey fur.
- The poet compared the budding goslings on the hazel trees to the first signs of a returning spring.

## Examples

- The mother goose led her yellow gosling to the water.
- We watched a tiny gosling struggle to climb the muddy bank while its parents honked encouragement from the pond.
- The farm was home to several broods of geese, and each fuzzy gosling seemed to follow the leader in a perfectly straight line across the meadow.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.