goggle

American  

[gog-uhl] / ˈgɒg əl /

noun

1. goggles,

   1. large spectacles equipped with special lenses, protective rims, etc., to prevent injury to the eyes from strong wind, flying objects, blinding light, etc.

   2. spectacles designed for a special purpose, as night-vision or stereoscopic goggles.

   3. Informal. glasses, or eyeglasses.

      I can't see a thing without my goggles.

2. a bulging or wide-open look of the eyes; stare.

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verb (used without object)

goggled, goggling

1. to stare with bulging or wide-open eyes.

   Synonyms:

   glare, gawp, gawk, ogle, gape

2. (of the eyes) to bulge and be wide open in a stare.

3. to roll the eyes.

4. (of the eyes) to roll.

5. Informal. spearfish.

verb (used with object)

goggled, goggling

1. to roll (the eyes).

adjective

1. (of the eyes) rolling, bulging, or staring.

goggle British  

/ ˈɡɒɡəl /

verb

1. (intr) to stare stupidly or fixedly, as in astonishment

2. to cause (the eyes) to roll or bulge or (of the eyes) to roll or bulge

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noun

1. a fixed or bulging stare

2. (plural) spectacles, often of coloured glass or covered with gauze: used to protect the eyes

Other Word Forms

• goggly
  adjective
• ungoggled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of goggle

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gogelen “to look aside, squint”

Explanation

When you goggle, you stare with wide-open bug eyes. You might goggle at a monkey riding a unicycle down the main street of your town. You may have heard of goggles — those large, plastic glasses that you use to protect your eyes while you are skiing or using a blowtorch. You might look like you are wearing goggles when you goggle at something. If you are looking for a new way to say "What are you looking at?!" Try: "What are you goggling at?!"

Example Sentences

In the film, Derpy is the fluorescent tiger with goggle eyes that always appears with its sidekick, a three-eyed bird named Sussy.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2025

Army soldiers have completed intensive testing of Microsoft’s new multifunction goggle — and the results may determine whether Congress rejects most of the $424.2 million proposed in next year’s defense budget to keep buying them.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 29, 2022

The Tactical edition is “popular with military personnel” and has features such as stealth mode and night vision goggle compatibility.

From The Verge • Feb. 9, 2022

Sporting high-cut helmets with night-vision goggle mounts, plate carriers and U.S. camouflage patterns, the guards looked like caricatures of the elite troops who have hunted insurgents in nightly raids and firefights.

From Washington Post • Aug. 25, 2021

His eyes were the size of tennis balls behind his goggle glasses.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein