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Slang file #004RisingHype & shade

What does GOAT mean?

Say itGOHT/ɡoʊt/noun

Stands for
  1. GGreatest
  2. OOf
  3. AAll
  4. TTime

The greatest of all time: the best and most successful person ever in a sport or another field.

Written by the Second Language TeamWritten

GOAT is short for greatest of all time [1]. People use it to say someone is the best ever at something. That can be a sport or music, or, as a joke, making pancakes. You will see it in sports comments, music talk, and group chats, often as a 🐐 emoji.

Say it as one word, just like the animal, not letter by letter. It is informal but always positive, so you can use it almost anywhere except formal writing.

Word stats

How casual
Informal, but sports news and TV use it all the time, so it is not only for close friends.
OK at work
Great for thanking a coworker in chat. Keep it out of reports and job applications.
Grandma-safe
Nothing rude here. But a relative who does not know the slang may think you called them a farm animal.
Cringe risk
Low. Everyone says it. Calling every sandwich the GOAT is when it starts to sound like too much.
Freshness
Around since the 1990s, and more people look it up every year. Still at the top of its game.

Spotted in the wild

Group chat · Sunday, 9:15 pm
  1. Diegodid you SEE that goal
  2. Hanathat’s his 5th title. he’s the GOAT, no debate
  3. Youok fine, I give up. GOAT 🐐
  4. Diegofinally 😤

What it means here: The friends agree the player is the best ever in his sport.

Work chat · direct message
  1. SamI fixed the broken slides before the client call, you’re good
  2. Youyou’re the GOAT, thank you!!

What it means here: Playful thanks. Sam is not really the best person in history, just very helpful today.

Text with Mom
  1. Momyour friend wrote GOAT under your graduation photo. is that rude?
  2. Youno mom 😂 it means greatest of all time
  3. Momoh! then she is correct

What it means here: GOAT is praise here. Mom thought it meant the animal.

How to use it

  • someone is the GOATEveryone in my family agrees: Grandma is the GOAT of dumplings.
  • the GOAT of + fieldShe’s the GOAT of last-minute presentations.
  • you’re the GOAT (to say thanks)You brought coffee for everyone? You’re the GOAT.
  • one of the GOATsHe’s easily one of the GOATs of hip-hop.
  • 🐐 in place of the wordBest singer alive 🐐🐐🐐

Don’t say it like this

  • Sounds offShe is GOAT.

    Say thisShe is the GOAT.

    GOAT is a noun, and there is only one greatest, so use "the". For a group, say "one of the GOATs".

  • Sounds offHe is the GOAT of all time.

    Say thisHe is the GOAT.

    "Of all time" is already inside GOAT. Saying it again means greatest of all time of all time.

  • Sounds off"Gee-oh-ay-tee"

    Say this"GOHT"

    Say it as one word, the same as the animal. Nobody spells it out.

  • Sounds offyou scored 3 goals, you’re the goat!

    Say thisyou scored 3 goals, you’re the GOAT!

    Lowercase is common in quick texts, but capitals make the praise clear. Lowercase goat can also mean the person who gets the blame, the exact opposite.

GOAT or not?

Is each of these GOAT? Pick an answer to find out.

  1. A tennis player wins more big titles than anyone in history. Fans fill her comments with 🐐.

  2. A sports host says, "He dropped the ball in the last second. He’s the goat of this game."

  3. Your friend drives you to the airport at 5 am. You text, "you’re the GOAT."

  4. A farm posts a photo with 🐐 and the caption "Meet Biscuit, our new baby!"

The GOAT family

  • goatedVery good or very skilled; GOAT used as an adjective.Your playlist can be goated without being the best in history.
  • 🐐The goat emoji, used online to mean GOAT [3].Saves you three letters. Confuses real farmers.
  • GOAT debateAn argument about who is the best ever in a sport or field.It never ends, and nobody ever changes their mind.

Where it came from

  1. 1992The boxer Muhammad Ali called himself "The Greatest", and people usually name him as the inspiration for GOAT. In September 1992 his wife, Lonnie Ali, sets up a company called G.O.A.T. Inc. to manage his business rights [2].
  2. 1996The oldest example Merriam-Webster has found: a fan on an online forum for the Orlando Magic basketball team writes "Penny is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time)" [2].
  3. 2000The rapper LL Cool J releases an album called "G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time)", and the term becomes widely known [3]. In 2016 he says Ali was the inspiration [2].
  4. 2018Merriam-Webster adds GOAT to its dictionary, one of more than 840 new words. Many news stories link it to the American football player Tom Brady [2].

GOAT or goat: praise or blame?

In writing, capital letters change everything. GOAT in capitals is praise. goat in lowercase is an older English word, and its slang use is not a compliment.

WordMeaningExample
GOATThe best person ever"She’s the GOAT of tennis."
goat (the animal)A farm animal"The goat ate my sandwich."
goat (older slang)The person who gets the blame"He missed the shot and became the goat."

Lowercase goat can mean a scapegoat: a person who is blamed for something [1]. In sports talk, the goat was the player people blamed for a loss. So "he’s the goat" and "he’s the GOAT" sound the same but can mean opposite things. When people talk, the situation usually makes the meaning clear.

Not everyone knows the slang meaning. In 2021 the actor Meryl Streep joked that she thought another actor was comparing her to a farm animal when he called her the GOAT [3].

Sources

  1. G.O.A.T. Definition & MeaningMerriam-Webster
  2. A Merriam-Webster editor explained Tom Brady's role in 'GOAT' entering the dictionaryBoston.com, September 7, 2018
  3. 🐐 Goat emojiDictionary.com, February 28, 2018

More slang to decode

Articles

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