Goat Meaning
/ɡəʊt/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAny hoofed mammal of the genus Capra.
nounAny ruminant of the genus Capra.
Sentence Examples
It is easy to get the cranky man's goat by teasing him.
Not hardly. He eats like a goat.
He can not tell a sheep from a goat.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
Despite its strange diet, the ____ ate the old shoe and the tin can.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The hungry ____ climbed up the steep rocky hill to reach the green grass growing at the very top.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English goot, got, gat, from Old English gāt, from Proto-West Germanic *gait, from Proto-Germanic *gaits, from a substrate language. The sense of lecherous man derives from the slang expression "horny as a goat".
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The first thing that greets you on entering the church is a notice asking you not to vex the goat, since it renders valuable service in keeping the churchyard tidy."
— 1980, AA book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 164:
"Folkestone: Network Rail and the White Cliffs Countryside Project have procured a herd of goats to keep vegetation on the slopes of Folkestone Warren under control, and to encourage rare species."
— 2025 February 5, Howard Johnston, “Regional News: Southern”, in RAIL, number 1028, page 22:
"Hungrily, by firelight, we set to with damper and cold goat washed down by hot tea."
— 1937, Ion L. Idriess, Over the Range, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1947, page 239:
"Joshua could not stop himself from scooping more goat on his plate: Paul had cooked it so long that the meat seemed to melt like hot, syrupy candy in his mouth. Joshua remembered goat as a stringy dark meat, but the red spicy mass before him was nothing like he recalled."
— 2008, Jesmyn Ward, Where the Line Bleeds, Bloomsbury (2018), page 157:
"Fernando Rodney, the goat in Sunday's 10th inning loss to Tampa Bay, threw three nearly perfect innings in relief on Tuesday after being demoted from the closer role."
— 2008 August 6, “Tigers already miss Jones”, in Royal Oak Daily Tribune, Michigan:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
Despite its strange diet, the ____ ate the old shoe and the tin can.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The hungry ____ climbed up the steep rocky hill to reach the green grass growing at the very top.