goat

play

noun \ ˈgōt \

Definition of goat

plural goats

1 a or plural goat :any of various hollow-horned ruminant mammals (especially of the genus Capra) related to the sheep but of lighter build and with backwardly arching horns, a short tail, and usually straight hair; especially :one (Capra hircus) long domesticated for its milk, wool, and flesh

b capitalized :capricorn

2 :a licentious man :lecher

3 :scapegoat 2

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goatish

play \ˈgō-tish\ adjective

—

goatlike

play \ˈgōt-ˌlīk\ adjective

See goat defined for English-language learners

See goat defined for kids

Examples of goat in a Sentence

In the last inning, a home run can make you the hero, and a strikeout can make you the goat.
an unhappy childhood was the goat he used to rationalize every failure and shortcoming

Recent Examples of goat from the Web

In my experience, an eight-day, mono-diet goat-milk cleanse — accompanied by a specific vermifuge made of anti-parasitic herbs — is the most successful treatment.

— gabriella paiella, The Cut, "The 23 Most Ridiculous Moments in Goop History, Ranked," 24 Aug. 2017
The goats, all of an Alpine breed sought after for its milk production, settled down to breakfast.

— andy newman, New York Times, "When the Delayed Passenger Is a Potbellied Pig," 22 Aug. 2017
The goats were originally wearing party hats, but one hat fell off and one was eaten.

— jefferson county cooperative extension, AL.com, "Black bears may be coming to a neighborhood near you (Garden Talk)," 14 Aug. 2017
There are better ways to get Vladimir Putin’s goat.

— michael brendan dougherty, National Review, "Don’t Arm Ukraine," 4 Aug. 2017
Further analysis showed an unusual pattern: The book was comprised of skins from an estimated 8.5 calves, 10.5 sheep, and half a goat.

— ann gibbons, Science | AAAS, "Goats, bookworms, a monk’s kiss: Biologists reveal the hidden history of ancient gospels," 25 July 2017
So, in addition to cats and dogs, their menagerie has included a pigeon, a goat, a potbellied big, a monitor lizard and other animals that end up as household pets.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Summer a hot time for pet owners to 'clean house' of their cats and dogs," 18 July 2017
This salad has everything — sweetness from the fruit, herbaceousness from the greens, creaminess from the goat cheese, and crunchy saltiness from roasted hazelnuts.

— caron golden, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How to be a pasta pro," 17 July 2017
El Bolero, which takes its culinary inspiration from across Mexico, has a selection of ceviches, tacos, soups, salads and entrees, including a goat/panela cheese chile relleno, lobster-tail fajitas and cochinita pibil.

— robert philpot, star-telegram, "Thai, Mexican restaurants moving into the West 7th area," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'goat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.