What does "geek" mean?
A carnival performer specializing in bizarre and unappetizing behavior.
Geek
/ɡiːk/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A carnival performer specializing in bizarre and unappetizing behavior.
- Grammar: geek is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: nerd, aficionado, anorak, brainiac.
- Useful contrasts: amateur, disengage, disinterest.
- Usage evidence: Tatoeba: As if the geek invasion wasn't enough.
How to use "geek"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "geek" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "geek" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "geek" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "geek" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "nerd" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A carnival performer specializing in bizarre and unappetizing behavior. dated
"I once saw a geek bite the head off a live chicken."
- 2 A look. Australia, colloquial
"Have a geek at this."
- 3 a person with an unusual or odd personality wordnet
- 4 A person who is intensely interested in a particular field or hobby and often having limited or nonstandard social skills. Often used with an attributive noun. colloquial
"I was a complete computer geek in high school, but I get out a lot more now."
- 5 a carnival performer who does disgusting acts wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 An expert in a technical field, particularly one having to do with computers. broadly, colloquial
"My laptop’s locked up again. I need a geek."
- 7 The subculture of geeks; an esoteric subject of interest that is marginal to the social mainstream; the philosophy, events, and physical artifacts of geeks; geekness. colloquial, uncountable
"It is totally counter-intuitive. How do these ubernerds get the cute girls? Is it the ultimate triumph of the Bill Gates era, in which geek is the new cool?"
- 8 An unfashionable or socially undesirable person. colloquial
"Why do you hang around with them? They’re just geeks."
Verb
- 1 To perform bizarre and unpleasant feats as part of a carnival. intransitive
"Geeking, unsurprisingly, was among the first carnival acts to be outlawed as the 20th century unfurled."
- 2 To look; to peep; to stare about intently. Cornwall
"This gayte bucca-davy, all'ys geekin' round arter a gook."
- 3 to be intoxicated wordnet
- 4 To enthusiastically engage in geek-like or nerdy interests. colloquial, intransitive
"It was our first time at a Star Trek convention and we had an amazing time wandering around and geeking."
- 5 To be nervous or hyperactive due to using crack cocaine. intransitive, slang
"I ain't nothin' but a clucker, your typical glass dick suckin' basehead, geekin' motherfucker"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To be nervous or hyperactive due to using crack cocaine.; To be under the influence of a mood-altering drug. broadly, intransitive, slang
Antonyms
Example
"Tatoeba: As if the geek invasion wasn't enough."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "geek"?
Common synonyms include: nerd, aficionado, anorak, brainiac, dork, dorks.
How do you use "geek" in a sentence?
Tatoeba: As if the geek invasion wasn't enough.
How do you pronounce "geek"?
Pronounced /ɡiːk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Started as carnival slang, likely from the British dialectal term geck (“a fool, dupe, simpleton”) (1510s), apparently from Dutch gek or Low German geck, from an imitative verb found in North Sea Germanic and Scandinavian meaning "to croak, cackle," and also "to mock, cheat" (Dutch gekken, German gecken, Danish gække, Norwegian gakke, Swedish gäcka). The root still survives in the Dutch adjective noun gek (“crazy" or "crazy person”). Compare gink and also Old Norse gikkr (“a pert, rude person; jester; fool”).
Etymology 2
Probably related to keek. Compare German gucken (“look”), kieken (“look”) and the dialectal corruption of Dutch keek (“keek”) (from kijk (“look”)), kijken (“to look”). Australian use from Cornish dialect.