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

Dave Franco, in glasses, plays up the grinning geek factor a bit too much. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025

In the 1990s, the internet boom created overnight fortunes along with unforeseen challenges for some tech geeks and impresarios who founded wildly successful dot-coms. —Christina Binkley, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2025

If Substack creators can make a living on affiliate links, why not music geeks? —Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025

The program is designed to follow orders from its user, Julian, a tech geek with a god complex. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 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