1
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
that typo is one of the text's rare goofs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in idiot
a stupid person
leave it to that goof to forget the bait on a fishing trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of goof
Today’s goof evolves into tomorrow’s masculine ideal.
—
Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
Try to avoid this poor guy's goof.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
The perfectionist and the goof.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025
One hundred fifty five days later, the Guardians have regained pole position in the AL Central, once again the result of a frenetic flash of bunts, chops and goofs that converted a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 advantage.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for goof
Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
Try to avoid this poor guy's goof.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
The perfectionist and the goof.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025
One hundred fifty five days later, the Guardians have regained pole position in the AL Central, once again the result of a frenetic flash of bunts, chops and goofs that converted a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 advantage.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for goof
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goof
Noun
-
And it's allowed for a lot of mistakes.—
Alex Crippen,
CNBC,
11 Apr. 2026
-
In some cases, that décor mistake can inadvertently make a space feel cluttered.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Several real estate blunders exacerbated the situation.—
Harvey Levine,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Gabriel and Zubimendi played costly blind passes against Bournemouth and Manchester United in January, Rice had his moment of madness away to Spurs in February, and even David Raya had a rare blunder away to Wolves.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Lluís then calls Puig Antich a moron.—
Colm Tóibín,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2026
-
This drunk moron — quite different from his character in the novel — bears a ton of blame.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Yet technology experts warn that outsourcing key decisions to AI exposes consumers to risks, potentially leading to communications errors and costing people money, while also potentially handing hackers the keys to their data.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Nurses at the hospital continue to report staffing issues and high turnover rates while saying medication errors and delays in patient care are continuing to occur.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
My dad has always said the lottery is a tax on the stupid.—
Alex Crippen,
CNBC,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The scale of the headloss was best summed up by Luis Suarez attempting to reason with Messi, before the Argentine did anything on the Suarez scale of stupid.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Let’s forgive the fool-killers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
-
As Rose’s impoverished yet imperious mother Ruth, Parson’s dry deliveries offer great comic ballast to this ship of fools.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Goof.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goof. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
