Meaning & use
goose
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Meanings
nouncountable
A large bird with webbed feet and a long neck, found near water and often kept on farms.
Grammar: Irregular plural: one goose, two geese.
Patterns
- a flock of geese
A goose hissed at us when we got close to the pond.
Wild geese flew south in a long V across the sky.
The farm kept a dozen geese for eggs and feathers.
noununcountable
The meat of this bird, cooked and eaten, especially at celebrations.
Grammar: No plural when it means the meat: we ate goose for the holiday.
Patterns
- roast goose
We had roast goose with red cabbage on New Year's Day.
Goose is richer and fattier than chicken.
She stuffed the goose with apples and herbs.
nouncountableinformalhumorous
A silly or foolish person, said affectionately.
Grammar: Usually in the phrase 'silly goose', said fondly to a child or friend.
Patterns
- a silly goose
Don't be a silly goose, put your coat on.
I left my keys in the fridge again, what a goose I am.
The little girl giggled and called her dad a goose.
verbtransitiveinformalold-fashioned
To poke or pinch someone from behind as a joke, making them jump.
Grammar: Takes a person as the object: he goosed his friend.
Patterns
- goose someone
The boy goosed his sister and ran away laughing.
He jumped when a classmate goosed him on the stairs.
Pranksters used to goose people in the crowded hall.
verbtransitiveinformalAmerican
To give something a sudden boost so that it speeds up or becomes more active.
Grammar: Takes a thing as the object: goose the engine, goose sales.
Patterns
- goose something up
- goose the economy
The mayor hoped a big festival would goose the local economy.
He goosed the engine to get the old truck up the hill.
A bold ad campaign goosed sales in the spring.
Word forms
| plural | geese |
|---|---|
| third person singular | gooses |
| past tense | goosed |
| past participle | goosed |
| -ing form | goosing |
Common combinations
- wild goose chase
- The directions led us on a wild goose chase around town.
- silly goose
- Oh, you silly goose, that's my coat!
- cook someone's goose
- One more late payment will cook your goose.
- goose bumps
- The song gave me goose bumps.
- roast goose
- Roast goose is a traditional winter dish in many countries.
- flock of geese
- A flock of geese crossed the road, stopping traffic.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gander
- 'Gander' means a male goose specifically, while 'goose' is the general word, or the female.
- waterfowl
- 'Waterfowl' is a wider term that includes ducks, swans and geese.
- ninny
- 'Ninny' is an old-fashioned word for a fool, while 'goose' is usually teasing and affectionate.
- prod
- 'Prod' means to poke someone in a firm, gentle way, but it lacks the prank sense of 'goose'.
Word family
Commonly confused: goose or gooses?
goose vs gooses
'Gooses' is not the plural of the noun; the noun's plural is 'geese', though 'gooses' is correct as the third person form of the verb 'goose'.
Practice
Two ___ were hissing at the children near the pond.
Choose one answer.
The plural of the bird is the irregular 'geese'. 'Gooses' is a common learner mistake, as that form belongs only to the verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “goose”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.