noun
gook
gook
noun
1
An offensive, derogatory slur for people of East or Southeast Asian descent, especially originating in US military use during 20th-century conflicts in Asia.
"The term was widely condemned as a racial slur used during wartime propaganda."
2
Slang for grime, mud, or thick sludge.
"There was a layer of gook stuck to the bottom of the pan."
How to Use Gook
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA deeply offensive ethnic slur historically tied to US wartime slang; also, separately, informal slang for grime or sludge.
When to use it
Highly offensive as an ethnic slur — avoid entirely except in direct historical or linguistic discussion.
Word Forms
gooked past tense, gooks plural, gooks plural, gooks plural, gooks plural, gooks singular
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Etymology
First recorded in the 1890s as US military slang applied to Filipinos, later extended during conflicts in Nicaragua, Haiti, Korea, and Vietnam to refer to local populations.