Definition of geek
1 : a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
2 : a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
3 : an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity computer geek
geekiness
nounExplore M-W
Examples of geek in a Sentence
He was a real geek in high school.
was quickly stereotyped as another computer geek
Recent Examples of geek from the Web
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Moreover, the adult division was launched due to a combination of modern geek culture, cosplay and the nostalgia of those who grew up wearing these themed garments.
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But adolescent preconceptions about jocks and geeks are overcome, and the two form an unlikely friendship challenged by the school’s homophobic atmosphere.
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A quarter century ago, 24-hour cable was still new and the Weather Channel was mostly for science geeks.
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Here are eight real-life sites — some famed, some obscure — for geek groupies who want to see where big brains have banged out the next big thing.
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Playboy lawyers told the journal that the image belonged to Playboy, no matter how many geeks had appropriated it.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'geek'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Of nerds, geeks, and dorks
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 was coined by Dr. Seuss in his 1950 book If I Ran the Zoo, although not in the sense that we use today. Geek became synonymous with nerd in the 1950s. Prior to this, the word 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.
Origin and Etymology of geek
probably from English dialect geek, geck fool, from Low German geck, from Middle Low German
GEEK Defined for English Language Learners
geek
playDefinition of geek for English Language Learners
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: a person who is socially awkward and unpopular : a usually intelligent person who does not fit in with other people
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: a person who is very interested in and knows a lot about a particular field or activity
Learn More about geek
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See words that rhyme with geek Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for geek Spanish Central: Translation of geek Nglish: Translation of geek for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of geek for Arabic speakers
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