boob

¹ American  

[boob] / bub /

noun

1. a stupid person; fool; dunce.

2. British. a blunder; mistake.

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verb (used without object)

1. British. to blunder.

boob ² American  

[boob] / bub /

noun

Slang.

1. a female breast.

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boob ¹ British  

/ buːb /

noun

1. an ignorant or foolish person; booby

2. an embarrassing mistake; blunder

3. a female breast

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verb

1. (intr) to make a blunder

boob ² British  

/ buːb /

noun

1. a prison

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adjective

1. of poor quality, similar to that provided in prison

   boob coffee

Etymology

Origin of boob¹

1905–10, back formation from booby ¹

Origin of boob²

First recorded in 1945–50; apparently back formation from booby ²

Explanation

Boob is a word for a woman's breast — it's also a word for an idiot. So if you're staring at a lady's boobs, you probably look like a boob. This is a very common slang word that's not really inappropriate. Nobody is going to get too mad about you using the word boob, though breast is definitely more anatomically correct. The other meaning of boob is similar to dope, dumbbell, dummy, pinhead, and numbskull. This meaning is also pretty harmless. Calling someone a boob is only a little insulting — not quite fighting words.

Example Sentences

"I've embraced my boob journey, it's something that's now part of my sporting journey."

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

I was mortified,” said Katie Sturino, 43, a popular content creator and influencer who founded Megababe, a cosmetics company that sells products that help with chafing thighs, boob sweat and body odor.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2023

“We worked so much at night, and she would sit around and watch the boob tube,” Warner admitted.

From Washington Post • Dec. 6, 2022

“I can’t cry in the boob room,” Meriwether said later.

From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2022

But anyway, Seferino Pacheco occasionally visited Onofre’s house, not to hear him play the piano—God forbid!—but simply to stare at Onofre’s miraculous boob tube, and also occasionally to listen to his friend read.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Related Words

• nitwit