Graphene oxide (GO), exhibiting a high degree of oxygen functionality and various structural defects, was found to be a highly efficient and cost effective carbocatalyst for the one-pot base-free synthesis of amides from aromatic aldehydes and secondary amine. The chemical and structural features of GO, as probed by FTIR, Raman, XRD and HRTEM analyses, were discussed to understand the catalytic mechanism for the synthesis of amides. The present method obviates the use of transition metal catalysts and needs shorter reaction time.