diff --git a/tools/perf/Makefile b/tools/perf/Makefile
index ac86d67b636e..7c12650165ae 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Makefile
+++ b/tools/perf/Makefile
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ endif
 
 CFLAGS = -fno-omit-frame-pointer -ggdb3 -Wall -Wextra -std=gnu99 $(CFLAGS_WERROR) $(CFLAGS_OPTIMIZE) -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 $(EXTRA_WARNINGS) $(EXTRA_CFLAGS)
 EXTLIBS = -lpthread -lrt -lelf -lm
-ALL_CFLAGS = $(CFLAGS) -D_LARGEFILE64_SOURCE -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64
+ALL_CFLAGS = $(CFLAGS) -D_LARGEFILE64_SOURCE -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64 -D_GNU_SOURCE
 ALL_LDFLAGS = $(LDFLAGS)
 STRIP ?= strip
 
@@ -168,10 +168,7 @@ endif
 
 ### --- END CONFIGURATION SECTION ---
 
-# Those must not be GNU-specific; they are shared with perl/ which may
-# be built by a different compiler. (Note that this is an artifact now
-# but it still might be nice to keep that distinction.)
-BASIC_CFLAGS = -Iutil/include -Iarch/$(ARCH)/include
+BASIC_CFLAGS = -Iutil/include -Iarch/$(ARCH)/include -D_LARGEFILE64_SOURCE -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64 -D_GNU_SOURCE
 BASIC_LDFLAGS =
 
 # Guard against environment variables
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-probe.c b/tools/perf/builtin-probe.c
index 59d43abfbfec..fb8566181f27 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-probe.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-probe.c
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
  * Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
  *
  */
-#define _GNU_SOURCE
 #include <sys/utsname.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
@@ -31,7 +30,6 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
-#undef _GNU_SOURCE
 #include "perf.h"
 #include "builtin.h"
 #include "util/util.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c b/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c
index eb25900e2211..29cb65459811 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
  *
  */
 
-#define _GNU_SOURCE
 #include <sys/utsname.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
@@ -33,7 +32,6 @@
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <elf.h>
 
-#undef _GNU_SOURCE
 #include "util.h"
 #include "event.h"
 #include "string.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/symbol.c b/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
index 215d50f2042e..0975438c3e72 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-#define _GNU_SOURCE
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include <dirent.h>
 #include <errno.h>
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/trace-event-parse.c b/tools/perf/util/trace-event-parse.c
index 6c164dc9ee95..1a8d4dc4f386 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/trace-event-parse.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/trace-event-parse.c
@@ -21,14 +21,13 @@
  *  The parts for function graph printing was taken and modified from the
  *  Linux Kernel that were written by Frederic Weisbecker.
  */
-#define _GNU_SOURCE
+
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include <errno.h>
 
-#undef _GNU_SOURCE
 #include "../perf.h"
 #include "util.h"
 #include "trace-event.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/ui/browsers/hists.c b/tools/perf/util/ui/browsers/hists.c
index 1212a386a033..e81aef1f2569 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/ui/browsers/hists.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/ui/browsers/hists.c
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
-#define _GNU_SOURCE
 #include <stdio.h>
-#undef _GNU_SOURCE
 #include "../libslang.h"
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/ui/helpline.c b/tools/perf/util/ui/helpline.c
index 6ef3c5691762..4f48f5901b30 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/ui/helpline.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/ui/helpline.c
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-#define _GNU_SOURCE
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/util.h b/tools/perf/util/util.h
index b9c530cce79a..ecf9898169c8 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/util.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/util.h
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@
 #define decimal_length(x)	((int)(sizeof(x) * 2.56 + 0.5) + 1)
 
 #define _ALL_SOURCE 1
-#define _GNU_SOURCE 1
 #define _BSD_SOURCE 1
 #define HAS_BOOL