Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One who shirks work or responsibility.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Informal A person who habitually shirks his duties or avoids work; an idle worthless person.
  • intransitive verb Informal To shirk one's duties; to avoid work by relaxing or performing idle activities.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun US An idle or work-shy person; a shirker

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an idle worthless person

Etymologies

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Examples

  • The practice of butchering a hit British show to make it palatable to a mainstream American audience is expertly satirized in the Showtime sitcom "Episodes" with Matt LeBlanc starring as himself, cast in the U.S. version of an award-winning English show: He plays an erudite headmaster—which he and the network turn into a goof-off hockey coach.

    Coming to America Amy Chozick 2011

  • We in the infantry may live in the dirt, but we have moments of exhilaration, terror, bloodlust, relief, laughter, and goof-off time.

    A Nightmare’s Prayer Michael Franzak 2010

  • In the Preface to Edward Kennedy: An Intimate Biography I attempted to memorialize my initial impressions of a fellow student dismissed mostly around Harvard Square as a rock-jawed goof-off who was dependable mostly on the football field or chugalugging beers with his fellow lightweights at Pi Eta...

    Burton Hersh: Edward Kennedy: Surviving Death Threats, Ousting Nixon Burton Hersh 2010

  • I've also had plenty of goof-off time, and my SIL and I have enjoyed a nightly movie.

    Speedy Vacation Molly Daniels 2010

  • I've also had plenty of goof-off time, and my SIL and I have enjoyed a nightly movie.

    Archive 2010-03-01 Molly Daniels 2010

  • Today I am having a goof-off and play with computers day, and then I am going to archery.

    i went to hell and to the races netcurmudgeon 2008

  • Obama: I've got to say that as a kid, you know, I was more of a goof-off, I was more interested in being a ball player than I was a president.

    Forget Hillary. When Did Obama First Want To Become President? 2009

  • In case you're not, what's the context around him saying he was a goof-off.

    Forget Hillary. When Did Obama First Want To Become President? 2009

  • Kids who just can't break out of the "as soon as teacher turns away, I can goof-off" mentality, would be sent back to the more controlled, authoritarian class.

    Teaching Children to Hate School Jim Horn 2009

  • I just wish Obama wasn't playing the lovable goof-off card.

    Forget Hillary. When Did Obama First Want To Become President? 2009

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