Graphene oxide (GO) synthesized via modified Hummers method was studied for adsorption of methylene blue (MB) and malachite green (MG) dyes from aqueous solutions. It is hypothesized that electrostatic interactions between dye molecules and surface of GO will facilitate charge carrier movements and degrade the dye in an efficient way. The as synthesized GO was characterized using various characterization techniques such as XRD, Raman, FTIR, UV–Vis, SEM and EDAX. The experimental results suggest that dye removal percentage will increase with increase in adsorbent dosage, time as well as solution pH and the process was exothermic in nature. The adsorption data at 293 K could be fitted by Langmuir equation with a maximum adsorption amount of 119.04, 102.4 mg/g and Langmuir adsorption equilibrium constant of 1.58, 0.867 L/mg for MB and MG dyes, respectively. The outcomes of present article will help not only to understand the adsorption characteristics of GO on MB and MG dyes but also paves path towards development of highly oxidized GO surface for degradation of complex dyes.