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Meaning & use

gobbler

noun·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/ˈɡɒb.lər/
US/ˈɡɑː.blɚ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountableAmerican

    An adult male turkey, named for the sound it makes.

    Grammar: Countable: a gobbler, the gobblers; mostly used in the United States.

    Patterns

    • a wild gobbler

    A big gobbler strutted across the farmyard with his tail feathers spread.

    Hunters in spring listen for the call of a wild gobbler.

    The children laughed when the gobbler chased the dog.

  2. nouncountableinformalhumorous

    A person who eats very fast and greedily, or who takes things in a greedy way.

    Grammar: Often used in a joking way with a modifier: a gobbler of sweets.

    Patterns

    • a gobbler of something

    My little brother is a gobbler who finishes dinner in two minutes.

    The class gobbler had eaten all the cookies before we arrived.

    She is a gobbler of novels, reading one every day.

Word forms

pluralgobblers

Common combinations

wild gobbler
A wild gobbler wandered into our yard at dawn.
a big gobbler
He shot a big gobbler weighing twenty pounds.
a fast gobbler
My dog is a fast gobbler and finishes his bowl in seconds.
gobbler call
He practiced his gobbler call before the season began.

Synonyms and how they differ

tom
Tom, or tom turkey, is another name for a male turkey and sounds more technical among hunters.
glutton
Glutton is stronger and more critical, suggesting excessive greed rather than just speed.
wolfer
Wolfer is a rare word for someone who eats like a wolf and is less natural than gobbler.

Word family

gobble verb
to eat quickly and greedily, or to make a turkey sound
gobbling noun
the sound a turkey makes
gobble up phrasal verb
to consume something quickly, such as a smaller company

Commonly confused: gobbler or gobbledygook?

gobbler vs gobbledygook

Gobbledygook means confusing, pompous language; it shares the gobble sound but has no link to turkeys.

Practice

At the farm, a loud ____ strutted across the yard, fanning his tail feathers.

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