Goombah
//ˈɡumbɑ// noun, slang
noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person of Italian descent (often implies the person is connected to Italian organized crime) US, derogatory, ethnic, slang, slur
- 2 Alternative form of gumbe, a Jamaican drum. alt-of, alternative
- 3 A companion, pal, close friend, or associate, especially among Italian-American men. It sometimes has the connotation of an older friend who acts as a patron, protector or adviser. US, slang
Etymology
From Neapolitan cumpà and Sicilian cumpari (“buddy, pal”, akin to Italian compare, Spanish compadre, from Latin compater, literally “godfather”), a word often used to refer to “family friends” or friends close enough to be considered an “aunt” or “uncle”, though not related by blood. To an English-speaking ear, the unaspirated stops of Southern Italian dialects (especially Neapolitan) are interpreted as voiced stops, yielding goombah. Compare South American Spanish cumpa. Doublet of compadre, compeer, and compere.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.