Gobo

UK: /ˈɡəʊbəʊ/ US: (gō′bō)

Inflections of 'gobo' (n):

gobos

npl

goboes

npl

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

go•bo  (gō′bō), n., pl. -bos, -boes. [Motion Pictures, Television.]

1. Cinema, Radio and Television a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
2. Cinema, Radio and Television a screen or sheet of sound-absorbent material for shielding a microphone from sounds coming from a particular direction.

• origin, originally uncertain 1925–30, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

gobo / ˈɡəʊbəʊ/ noun ( -bos, -boes)

1. a shield placed around a microphone to exclude unwanted sounds
2. a black screen placed around a camera lens, television lens, etc, to reduce the incident light

Etymology: 20th Century: of unknown origin