noun
gooseberry
GUUZB-ree
noun
1
A small, tart, round green (or sometimes red) berry that grows on a spiny shrub, used in pies, jams, and fools.
"Gran's gooseberry crumble is famously sharp."
"The hedgerow was thick with wild gooseberry bushes."
2
(informal, British) A third person who unwantedly tags along with a couple.
"I felt like a total gooseberry sitting between them on the date."
How to Use Gooseberry
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA tart British hedgerow fruit, and separately, British slang for the awkward extra person on what should be a couple's outing.
When to use it
The 'unwanted third wheel' sense is chiefly British and informal.
Common pairings
gooseberry jam
play gooseberry
Word Forms
gooseberries plural
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Etymology
"Goose" plus "berry," though the connection to actual geese is unclear — some scholars think the first part was originally a different word, twisted over time by folk etymology into "goose."