gopher

1
[ goh-fer ]
See synonyms for gopher on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of several ground squirrels of the genus Citellus, of the prairie regions of North America.

  1. Gopher, a native or inhabitant of Minnesota (used as a nickname).

  2. Gopher, Computers.

    • a protocol for a menu-based system of accessing documents on the internet.

    • any program that implements this protocol.

verb (used without object)
  1. Mining.

    • to mine unsystematically.

    • to enlarge a hole, as in loose soil, with successively larger blasts.

Origin of gopher

1
First recorded in 1785–95; earlier megopher, magopher “gopher tortoise”; of obscure origin; spelling copies gopher wood

Words Nearby gopher

Other definitions for gopher (2 of 2)

gopher2
[ goh-fer ]

nounSlang.

Origin of gopher

2
First recorded in 1925–30; respelling of gofer by association with gopher1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gopher in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gopher

gopher

/ (ˈɡəʊfə) /


noun
  1. Also called: pocket gopher any burrowing rodent of the family Geomyidae, of North and Central America, having a thickset body, short legs, and cheek pouches

  2. another name for ground squirrel

  1. any burrowing tortoise of the genus Gopherus, of SE North America

  2. gopher snake another name for bull snake

Origin of gopher

1
C19: shortened from earlier megopher or magopher, of obscure origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012