geek

noun

ˈgēk 

1

: a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked

2

: an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity

computer geek

3

: a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake

geekiness noun

geeky

ˈgē-kē 

adjective

Did you know?

Of Nerds, Geeks, and Dorks

This trio of words historically refers to the uncool among us. Dork, when used to refer to a socially awkward or inept person, is a relatively recent word: our records indicate that it first appeared in writing in the 1960s. Two of its synonyms in this sense are likewise of fairly recent vintage. Nerd (typically used of a studious species of dork) dates from the 1950s; it may have been coined by Dr. Seuss in his 1950 book If I Ran the Zoo, although not in the sense that we use today. Nerd is now often used in a neutral fashion to denote enthusiasm or expertise (theater nerd) or proudly as a self-identifying trait (word nerd). Geek became synonymous with nerd in the 1950s and has similarly seen increasing use with positive connotations, highlighting membership in a specialized group (film geek, beer geek) rather than social awkwardness. In its earliest meanings, geek referred to, among other things, a carnival performer who would bite the head off a live chicken, or other small animal, as part of an act.

Synonyms

• nerd

Examples of geek in a Sentence

He was a real geek in high school.

was quickly stereotyped as another computer geek

Recent Examples on the Web

And make no mistake — Taylor is the kind of pop geek who knows all these stories cold, so this is primed to be the biggest pop wedding of all. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025

Both men are charismatic movie stars who happen to share a secret film-geek disposition. —Brent Lang, Variety, 20 Aug. 2025

Carolyn thought that freaks and geeks would be more appreciated and understood by fellow players after the triumph of another goofy fan favorite on Survivor 42. —Dalton Ross, EW.com, 18 Aug. 2025

Other kids, even other parents and other coaches, fawn, swoon, ask for photos, upon recognizing them from clips highlighting Heat stars on track-and-field-geek platforms like FloTrack and MileSplit. —Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from English dialect geek, geck fool, from Low German geck, from Middle Low German

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing geek

• geek out

Rhymes for geek

• beak
• beek
• bleak
• cheek
• chic
• clique
• creak
• creek
• eke
• freak
• greek
• leak