Meanings
verbgoof off (third-person singular simple present goofs off, present participle goofing off, simple past and past participle goofed off)
present singular third person goofs off · participle present goofing off · participle past goofed off · past goofed off
- AustraliaUSintransitiveslangTo dawdle, lollygag; to waste time aimlessly or engage in idle activity or inactivity.
He sat there goofing off all day instead of working.
1 more example
I've been goofing off since the day I was born.
1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 173 - USdatedslangtransitiveTo make a mistake.
He goofed off this whole project.
- USdatedintransitiveslangTo fall asleep or pass out on drugs.
Synonyms & antonyms
Translations
Ancient Greek ῥαθυμέω
- ῥαθυμέω (rhathuméō)engage in idle activity
Chinese Mandarin 自娛自樂 /自娱自乐
- 自娛自樂 /自娱自乐 (zìyúzìlè)engage in idle activity
Czech ulejvat se, zašívat se
- ulejvat seengage in idle activity
- zašívat seengage in idle activity
Dutch niets doen, luilakken
- niets doenengage in idle activity
- luilakkenengage in idle activity
Finnish lorvailla
- lorvaillaengage in idle activity
French bassoter
- bassoterengage in idle activity
Polish obijać się
- obijać sięengage in idle activity
Portuguese morgar
- morgarengage in idle activity
Russian би́ть баклу́ши, валя́ть дурака́
- би́ть баклу́ши (bítʹ baklúši)engage in idle activity
- валя́ть дурака́ (valjátʹ duraká)engage in idle activity
- сачкова́ть (sačkovátʹ)engage in idle activity
Spanish holgazanear
- holgazanearengage in idle activity
Cite this entry
APA
goof off. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goof%20off
MLA
“goof off.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goof%20off. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “goof off,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goof%20off.
Source: goof off on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.