Word.ws English Dictionary

goo-goo

goo-goo noun: a Filipino person.

Noun (1)

goo-goo (plural goo-goos)

  1. (derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slur, vulgar) A Filipino person.

Noun (2)

goo-goo (plural goo-goos)

  1. (US, derogatory) A government reformer.
    • Stinging Rebuke Administered to Bald Attempt to Grab City; Goo-Goo Clique Swept Off Their Feet by Landslide Against Municipal Freak1912 December 4, “Voters, Aroused, Rout Goo-Goo Gangsters”, in Los Angeles Times, archived from the original on 30 Jun 2013
    • Some goo-goos are so relentless in their pursuit of goo-gooism that they become a public menace.1993 December 7, Mike Royko, “Pass the pablums, it's goo-goo time”, in Chicago Tribune, archived from the original on 30 Jun 2013, page 13

Adjective

goo-goo (comparative more goo-goo, superlative most goo-goo)

  1. (slang, usually) Amorous, affectionate.
    • I wants to ask one question now, please let me call you dear, It cost a lot to gain a rep. But I’ll blow the road right here, if you’ll be mine, if you’ll be mine, Just because you makes them goo-goo eyes1900, “Just Because She Made Dem Goo-goo Eyes”, John Queen (lyrics), Hughley Cannon (music)
    • I have to admit he is really easy on the eyes, but I don’t go all goo-goo over him every time he’s near like most of the girls in class.2011, Carolyn Moring Lowes, Awakening Avery, page 2

Interjection

  1. (onomatopoeic) The noise of a baby trying to imitate speech.

goo-goo meaning in Vietnamese

goo-goo in Vietnamese

noise of a baby trying to imitate speech
bi bô, bập bẹ

Forms of goo-goo

Noun
pluralgoo-goos
alternative formgugu
alternative formGoo-Goo
Adjective
comparativemore goo-goo
superlativemost goo-goo

Origin of goo-goo

First attested circa 1899, in US military slang, probably from American soldiers during the Philippine-American War hearing Tagalog gago (“idiot; fool; simpleton”) and Tagalog gaga (“female idiot; female fool”) and considering it to sound like babbling (goo goo ga ga). Possibly influenced by goo-goo eyes, which "was in vogue c. 1900 and may have contributed to this somehow" since early uses of goo-goo and gook refer specifically to prostitutes who followed army camps. See also gook.

From good government. Attested from the 1890s.

Uncertain; perhaps from goggle. Attested from 1900.

Words formed from goo-goo

Questions about goo-goo

What does goo-goo mean?
Goo-goo means a Filipino person.
What is goo-goo in Vietnamese?
Goo-goo in Vietnamese is bi bô, bập bẹ. See Goo-goo meaning in Vietnamese.
What part of speech is goo-goo?
Goo-goo can be a noun, an adjective or an interjection.
What is the plural of goo-goo?
The plural of goo-goo is goo-goos.

Words near goo-goo in the dictionary

  1. goo goo
  2. goo goo ga ga
  3. goo'
  4. goo-gob
  5. goo-gobs
  6. goo-goo
  7. goo-goo eyes
  8. goo-gooism
  9. goo-goos
  10. Gooandra
  11. Goobarragandra

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: goo-goo (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “goo-goo.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/goo-goo. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.