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to goose

to goose

1 8.0
To give an engine a sudden extra burst of power so it speeds up
  • verb
  • /ɡus/
  • Informal
translation icon : pisar el acelerador
  • Please goose the engine to help us reach highway speeds.
  • goose the throttle
  • goose the gas

Examples

  • Joe goosed his rig through Cordwood's three stop signs and one light, past the West One Bank and the Log In Bar, the Lewis-Clark movie house whose owner, Harvey Manners, an ex-logger Christian fundamentalist, was bankrupting himself by limiting features to G and PG.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • "You go to hell," he said, then goosed the car past her and down South Park to Simpson.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • So you have to basically goose the liver to do its job.

  • Goose your engine and get out.

  • Back on the highway, I goosed her to 60, but that felt too fast, so I slowed to 50, rolled down my window, and looked into the dark woods.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • I goosed the throttle back to full to close range and keyed my comm.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Nash stuck the red flasher on the roof and goosed the siren, a quick moan.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • He goosed the accelerator and the car sped forward in a flash.

  • After the car slowed down, I had to goose the gas pedal to get moving again.

Synonyms

to step on the gas
vsto goose
  • Informal
9 3.7

To press the pedal in a car to make it go faster or hurry to finish something

adds a sudden extra fuel or power burst to the engine for abrupt acceleration

Idioms

To destroy a steady source of income by greedy short-term choices

loose as a goose
  • Informal
1 8.4

Being very relaxed and not worried, acting carefree and playful

Make someone lose their chance of success

9.9

Doing something risky and foolish that will likely make you lose money or get into trouble

In serious trouble and likely to be punished or ruined

A saying that you should not expect a wild person or thing to behave calmly

Phrasal Verbs

To march with straight legs swung high in military parades

Compounds

wild-goose chase
  • Informal
22 6.6

A hopeless search for something that does not exist

golden goose
  • Informal
9 4.4

A thing or business that keeps making a lot of money

Mother Goose
  • Literature
3 4.5

An imaginary old woman who writes nursery rhymes and fairy tales

3 3.0

A small raised spot on your skin when you feel cold, scared, or excited

3 3.8

Soft fine feathers from under a goose used as warm filling

3 2.7

A large wild goose from North America with a black head and neck and white cheeks

goose egg
  • Informal
3 8.1

A score or total of zero

2 6.5

A food made from a goose's liver and often served as a rich spread

2 3.7

A small raised bump on the skin that appears when you feel cold, afraid, or have strong feelings

1 3.2

A large wild goose with a black head and white cheek patches that honks loudly and is often near lakes

1 2.8

A white goose with black wing tips found in North America

1 7.5

Fat from geese that people use in cooking and rub on the skin as a simple medicine

1 4.1

Small raised bumps on the skin when you are cold or scared

7.2

A wild goose from North America with dark feathers in summer and white in winter

9.3

A small dark goose that breeds in the far north and flies south for winter

8.8

A small dark goose that breeds in the Arctic and flies south for the winter

A large farm goose from China with a prominent knob on its bill

A small dark bird that lives on northern coasts and eats sea plants

A small goose that breeds in the far north and flies south in winter

goose barnacle
  • Specialized
9.5

A small sea animal with a shell on a stalk that sticks to ships and driftwood

goose grass
  • Specialized
7.9

A coarse annual grass often found as a weed in fields and gardens

An annual plant with sticky, prickly stems that cling to clothes

A low-growing plant that grows back each year with silvery undersides on its leaves

9.8

A wild plum tree from eastern and central North America that makes red-orange fruit with yellow flesh

A march with straight legs swung high used in military parades

A soldier who marches with straight legs and high steps

A low plant that lives many years and people often use as ground cover

5.6

A large gray wild goose common in Europe and western Asia

9.3

A large white seabird with black-tipped wings that dives for fish

9.9

A large white sea bird with black wing tips that dives for fish

How Fast

to goose
  • Informal
1 8.0
to accelerate
  • Specialized
331 3.7
to rev
14 4.9

Surface Forms

goose infinitive
goosed past
goosed past participle
goosing present participle
gooses third person singular

Etymology

To goose an engine means 'to give a sudden burst of power', and this use comes from the idea of a quick push or pinch that makes things speed up. So to goose a car or engine is to make it jump forward suddenly.