goof off

See also: goofoff and goof-off

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌɡuːf ˈɒf/
• (US, without the cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˌɡuf ˈɔf/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˌɡuf ˈɑf/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

goof off (third-person singular simple present goofs off, present participle goofing off, simple past and past participle goofed off)

1. (US, Australia, slang) To dawdle, lollygag; to waste time aimlessly or engage in idle activity or inactivity.

   He sat there goofing off all day instead of working.

   • 1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 173:

     I've been goofing off since the day I was born.

2. (US, dated, slang) To make a mistake.

   He goofed off this whole project.

3. (US, dated, slang) To fall asleep or pass out on drugs.

Translations

engage in idle activity

• Cherokee: ᎡᏙᎵᏙᎭ (edolidoha)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 自娛自樂／自娱自乐 (zìyúzìlè)

• Dutch: niets doen, luilakken (nl)
• Finnish: lorvailla (fi)
• French: bassoter (fr)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ῥαθυμέω (rhathuméō)

• Portuguese: morgar (pt)
• Russian: би́ть баклу́ши (ru) (bítʹ baklúši), валя́ть дурака́ (ru) (valjátʹ duraká), сачкова́ть (ru) (sačkovátʹ)
• Spanish: holgazanear (es)