rhizoverbBeta
DictionarygoferErrand-running assistant
noun

gofer

GOH-fer/ˈɡəʊfər/

A low-ranking assistant who runs errands.

The gofer delivers coffee and mail to the office.

An identifiable office employee distributes fetched coffees and mail to coworkers at their desks, making several small workplace errands visible in one concrete action.
Etymology
goEnglishgo; travel
+ferEnglishin order to obtain

The phrase “go for,” as in going for coffee or spare parts, became a name for someone sent on errands. It turns a routine instruction into a label for the worker who carries it out.

In context

HISTORY10:23
you become what's known as a "hang-around"-- basically a gofer.
Secret Code of the Hells Angels | Outlaw Chronicles: Hells Angels (S1, E1) | Full Episode | History

More examples

  • The gofer collected lunch orders for the crew.
  • She resented being treated as a gofer rather than an assistant.
  • The manager sent the gofer to pick up the documents.

Forms

gofer · gofers

Similar words

assistant
An assistant may have skilled duties; a gofer is particularly assigned errands and minor tasks.
underling
Underling broadly means a subordinate, often dismissively; gofer specifies an errand-running role.