bog
1 Americannoun
-
wet, spongy ground with soil composed mainly of decayed vegetable matter.
-
an area or stretch of such ground.
verb (used with or without object)
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bogs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bogged,
past participle, past
-
bogging
present participle
verb phrase
noun
noun
-
wet spongy ground consisting of decomposing vegetation, which ultimately forms peat
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an area of such ground
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a place or thing that prevents or slows progress or improvement
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a slang word for lavatory
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slang the act or an instance of defecating
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bogsimple
-
bogssimple
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have boggedperfect
-
has boggedperfect
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am boggingprogressive
-
are boggingprogressive
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is boggingprogressive
-
have been boggingperfect progressive
-
has been boggingperfect progressive
Past
-
boggedsimple
-
had boggedperfect
-
was boggingprogressive
-
were boggingprogressive
-
had been boggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bog1
1495–1505; < Irish or Scots Gaelic bogach soft ground ( bog soft + -ach noun suffix); bog 1 ( def. 4 ) perhaps a different word
Origin of bog2
1780–90; probably shortening of bog-house; compare bog to defecate, boggard (16th century) privy, of obscure origin
Explanation
You'd be pretty soggy by morning if you accidentally set your tent up in a bog. A bog is a swampy kind of ground made up mostly of decomposing plants and mosses. Nothing can be built on a bog because the ground is so spongy and damp, and no crops can be grown there. The dried soil from a bog can, however, be dried and burned for fuel. A figurative bog is anything that you tend to get stuck in, like a bog of health problems. Things can also "bog you down", or slow you down literally or figuratively, like when your homework bogs you down so you can't enjoy the weekend.
Vocabulary lists containing bog
St. Patrick's Day Vocabulary: Words With Irish and Gaelic Roots
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"The Monkey's Paw," Vocabulary from the short story
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English Words Derived from Gaelic
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Written by Mr. Carney and Peter McDonald, who also contributes a funny supporting turn as one of Rick’s band mates, it stumbles into a bog of bitterness, quarreling and unseemly behavior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Even as they profess admiration for one another’s work, Ruth, Jay and Leigh sink into a bog of miscommunication and antagonism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Anything would be better than trotting out another bog standard pro sports salute to the troops that year.
From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2026
They won't bog themselves down with the permutations, for wins against Ireland are thin on the ground for Scotland.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026
A few minutes later Emma came wading through the bog, apologizing and talking a mile a minute.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
"Foundations are sometimes built on peat bogs: if these dry out, they shrink, and cracks can appear in buildings," she said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Most existing Celtic objects—found in bogs and burial mounds—are durable works in stone, bone, glass, metal and terracotta with rare survivals in wood, leather and cloth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
The diversity of Shropshire's nature makes it special, he added, recalling "those brilliant hills, the Stiperstones, the Long Mynd" as well as "bogs, fens, and a brilliant river system".
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
On the silver screen, it dazzles like few contemporary science fiction films do, opting for color over the pallid gray verisimilitude that often bogs down its peers.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026
He tried to recall all he had been taught of the crannogmen, who dwelt amongst the bogs of the Neck and seldom left their wetlands.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Don’t get bogged down by complicated recipes that require buying lots of new ingredients — simple meals work.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
This conversation can get quickly bogged down with too much information, and some of it could lead to you being identifiable.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Whenever you get to tank bottoms, the whole operation gets bogged down,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The consolidation of regional power by Modi’s party could catalyze structural reforms, which often get bogged down in federal-state conflicts, says Madhavi Arora, chief economist at Emkay Global Financial Services in Mumbai.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
Jellyfish don’t get bogged down by drama, love, friendship, or sorrow.
From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin
Late-arriving tax forms from partnerships and brokerage firms are also bogging down returns, O’Saben noted.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 9, 2026
Carolla said it’s a symptom of the larger trend across L.A. that he regularly complains about: regulations and over-engineering bogging development down to the point where no one can afford to build.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2025
"For that potential purchase to best compliment Netflix, the planned split of WBD would make its studio more attractive without bogging it down with TV networks that aren't as agile as Netflix," Benes told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2025
Melissa Eddy traveled to the German state of Baden-Württemberg to visit companies and speak with their leaders about how bureaucracy is bogging them down.
From New York Times ● Apr. 9, 2024
Shorty has all these goals and plans, and it starts to seem that those things are bogging him down.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
