goat
goat — noun
1. A four-legged farm or wild animal with two horns, a small beard, and hair coveri
A four-legged farm or wild animal with two horns, a small beard, and hair covering its body. Goats often live on mountain slopes or on farmland where people raise them for milk, meat, and fibres.
The farmer gets fresh milk from his goats every morning before sunrise.
countable noun in plural form
A wild goat stood perfectly still on the narrow cliff above the river.
wild vs domestic context
Paloma's uncle raises a dozen goats on his small farm south of the city.
Goats will eat almost any plant they find, including bushes and tree bark.
The baby goat jumped playfully around its mother near the wooden fence.
文法句型
goat + verb (eats, climbs)
a herd/flock of goats
用法筆記
Often used in the plural form 'goats' when referring to the animals as a group or species. The young are called 'kids'.
常見錯誤
2. An informal, insulting word for a male person who openly shows strong sexual int
An informal, insulting word for a male person who openly shows strong sexual interest in others, often in a way that other people find unpleasant or inappropriate.
The other passengers avoided the loud old goat at the back of the bus.
standard pattern: old goat
Asher's coworkers called him an old goat after he made inappropriate jokes at the office party.
Nobody wanted to sit near the goat who kept staring at everyone across the room.
The way that goat talked to the waitress embarrassed everyone at the table.
文法句型
old goat
act like a goat
用法筆記
Always disapproving and impolite. Most commonly appears in the fixed phrase 'old goat.' Avoid using in formal writing or polite conversation.
常見錯誤
3. A person regarded as the best ever in a particular sport, art, or professional a
A person regarded as the best ever in a particular sport, art, or professional activity. The label comes from the acronym GOAT, and may be written in all capital letters or in lowercase as a regular noun.
Many basketball fans still argue over whether LeBron James or Michael Jordan is the real GOAT.
capitalized abbreviation GOAT
After winning her third gold medal, the runner was called the goat of her sport.
lowercase noun form
Luca posted a photo of his favorite rapper with the hashtag GOAT on social media.
The crowd chanted 'GOAT, GOAT!' as the tennis player lifted the trophy above her head.
In the world of chess, some fans consider the young prodigy the greatest of all time.
- nobody
a person of no importance or achievement
文法句型
be the goat / GOAT
call someone the GOAT
用法筆記
Originally from sports commentary but now used more broadly for any field (music, film, business). The capitalized form 'GOAT' is common in social media hashtags and informal writing. The lowercase 'goat' is also accepted as a regular noun. Note: this modern slang meaning has no connection to the animal sense.
常見錯誤
4. A person who is unfairly blamed or made fun of for a mistake or problem that was
A person who is unfairly blamed or made fun of for a mistake or problem that was caused by others, or who is singled out to take the blame so more powerful people can avoid responsibility.
When the project failed, the junior staff became the goat for the senior manager's mistakes.
be the goat for [something]
The team made Hassan the goat for the loss even though he had played well all season.
make someone the goat
Devika refused to be the goat for a decision she had never agreed with in the first place.
In politics, a junior official is often made the goat when things go wrong behind closed doors.
- scapegoat
the standard, more formal term; 'goat' is a shortened form
- fall guy
informal; someone set up to take the blame for a crime or mistake
- whipping boy
dated; someone who is regularly punished for others' faults
文法句型
be the goat for something
make someone the goat
用法筆記
Derived from 'scapegoat' — the 'goat' in this sense is a shortened form. Always implies that the blame is undeserved. Common in sports and workplace contexts where one person takes the fall for a group failure.