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
The novel Abby fell asleep reading is a goof on City of Thieves, a novel by Game of Thrones co-showrunner David Benioff, who also wrote the novel adapted by Spike Lee into the great 2002 film 25th Hour (from Benioff’s screenplay).
—
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 26 May 2025
Whether playing the lovable goof who couldn’t tell left from right, or hilariously claiming Cena was his childhood hero (despite being five years older), Killings turned even throwaway segments into Saturday Night Live-worthy skits.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 19 May 2025
Jack Haven as Shaggy Taylor Hill/Getty Images Shaggy is really the heart of Mystery, Inc., and in order to pull off his specific mix of loveable goof and chill stoner, look no further than Haven.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 27 Mar. 2025
So far, these little goofs include, but are not limited to, momentarily laying off people who oversee the nuclear-weapons stockpile and cancelling Ebola-prevention measures.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for goof
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 26 May 2025
Whether playing the lovable goof who couldn’t tell left from right, or hilariously claiming Cena was his childhood hero (despite being five years older), Killings turned even throwaway segments into Saturday Night Live-worthy skits.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 19 May 2025
Jack Haven as Shaggy Taylor Hill/Getty Images Shaggy is really the heart of Mystery, Inc., and in order to pull off his specific mix of loveable goof and chill stoner, look no further than Haven.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 27 Mar. 2025
So far, these little goofs include, but are not limited to, momentarily laying off people who oversee the nuclear-weapons stockpile and cancelling Ebola-prevention measures.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for goof
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goof
Noun
-
Skull emoji: This emoji is often used to mock someone's mistake or appearance.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
21 July 2025
-
But when mistakes are punished or hidden, innovation stops in its tracks.—
IESE Business School,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
Its acquisitions in consumer banking were at worst blunders and at best decent deals struck in pursuit of a doomed strategy.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
21 July 2025
-
Consider how McDonald's had to end an experiment with AI drive-thru ordering due to blunders that led to customer frustration and viral videos on social media.—
Rishi Kumar,
Forbes.com,
17 July 2025
Noun
-
Without a robust knowledge foundation, these early wins can mask serious risks—from compliance breaches to costly decision errors.—
Stéphane Donzé,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
-
Pilot error caused the crash, according to a final report from the National Transportation Safety Board.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
So, the parallel thing that I’ve been frustrated by recently is not just calling Trump stupid, but calling Trump voters stupid.—
Drew Broussard
May 22,
Literary Hub,
22 May 2025
-
Sometimes too stupid is actually smartski but sometimes is just stupid stupid.—
Caroline Downey,
National Review,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
For a woman who devotes herself to God is a mystic, whereas a woman who lusts after a mortal man is a fool.—
Terry Nguyen
July 23,
Literary Hub,
23 July 2025
-
In any greater fool game, the last one is the one who loses most.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Goof.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goof. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share