to goose
- verb
- /ɡus/
- Offensive
- Clay jumped as if he'd been goosed—an infrequent occurrence in his social circle.
Examples
-
Those guys were standing so close to each other, it looked like one may have been "goosing" the other.
Blog text (20) -
Oh, she goosed me.
-
"You goosed me during the night."
Fiction book (1997) -
If he gooses you or anything, I'll make him go to bed.
-
And when he promptly goosed her
-
I probably couldn't have been less interested in anything he had to say until suddenly he goosed me, just to make sure I was paying attention.
-
Leroy gooses me again.
Fiction book (1998) -
She reports that even when he goosed her, his fingers didn't stray.
Fiction book (1994) -
She playfully goosed him as he walked by, surprising him with the playful gesture.
-
During the party, Tom goosed Sarah, making everyone laugh as she jumped in surprise.
Synonyms
To hit a person or thing lightly, often by accident
To squeeze someone's bottom playfully to show affection or flirt
Idioms
To destroy a steady source of income by greedy short-term choices
- Informal
Doing something risky and foolish that will likely make you lose money or get into trouble
- Informal
A saying that you should not expect a wild person or thing to behave calmly
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
- US
A large wild goose from North America with a black head and neck and white cheeks
A large wild goose with a black head and white cheek patches that honks loudly and is often near lakes
- UK
A small raised bump on the skin that appears when you feel cold, afraid, or have strong feelings
Fat from geese that people use in cooking and rub on the skin as a simple medicine
A low-growing plant that grows back each year with silvery undersides on its leaves
- Specialized
A small sea animal with a shell on a stalk that sticks to ships and driftwood
- US
A wild goose from North America with dark feathers in summer and white in winter
- US
A wild plum tree from eastern and central North America that makes red-orange fruit with yellow flesh
How Forceful
Surface Forms
Etymology
A helpful way to remember the verb goose meaning 'to pinch someone' is to think of how a goose can peck or nip; the bird's sharp action gave the word the sense of a quick, playful pinch. So to goose someone is to give them a sudden poke or pinch.