boondoggle

American  

[boon-dog-uhl, -daw-guhl] / ˈbunˌdɒg əl, -ˌdɔ gəl /

noun

1. a wasteful and worthless project undertaken for political, corporate, or personal gain, typically a government project funded by taxpayers.

   Is high-speed rail a valuable addition to infrastructure, or a boondoggle?

2. work of little or no value done merely to keep or look busy.

3. a product of simple manual skill, as a plaited leather cord for the neck or a knife sheath, made typically by a camper or a scout.

---

verb (used with object)

boondoggled, boondoggling

1. to deceive or attempt to deceive.

   to boondoggle investors into a low-interest scheme.

verb (used without object)

boondoggled, boondoggling

1. to do work of little or no practical value merely to keep or look busy.

boondoggle British  

/ ˈbuːnˌdɒɡəl /

verb

1. (intr) to do futile and unnecessary work

---

noun

1. a futile and unnecessary project or work

Usage

What does boondoggle mean? A boondoggle is a government project considered to have little purpose or value and to be a waste of taxpayer money. More generally, it can refer to any work done simply to look busy. These senses of the word are based on its original, literal meaning: a decorative but otherwise useless cord of braided leather or plastic (or another such handicraft) stereotypically made by Scouts. Boondoggle can also be used as a verb meaning to deceive. All senses of the word are primarily used in the U. S. and Canada. Example: Critics called the mayor’s proposal for a tech hub nothing more than a boondoggle to please his political donors.

Other Word Forms

• boondoggler
  noun

Etymology

Origin of boondoggle

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; of unknown origin

Explanation

A boondoggle is a useless, trivial piece of work — it's a waste of time. If you're serious about your career, you should avoid boondoggles. Boondoggle is a silly sounding word for a silly project. Any endeavor that's a total waste of time or has no value could be called a boondoggle, especially if you're doing it just to look busy and important. The verb boondoggle means to do that useless work. If the mayor spends all his time promoting an eagle reserve in the middle of the Bronx instead of focusing on subway repairs, you could call that a boondoggle.

Example Sentences

This includes flying to concerts at which Wilkins is performing, and to a luxury hunting lodge in Texas called Boondoggle Ranch.

From Slate • Dec. 18, 2025

That Sunday, the FBI jet landed in San Angelo, Texas, where Patel visited the Boondoggle Ranch, owned by the family of a Republican donor and friend of Patel’s, C.R.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

It does not have the appeal of “The Match,” the Phil Mickelson-Tiger Woods Boondoggle in Babylon, inasmuch as politicians aren’t held in the high esteem that athletes are.

From Golf Digest • Sep. 18, 2018

"Boondoggle is the one I hear more often."

From The Verge • Aug. 10, 2016

The Washington Post in a front-page editorial called it "The Great Boondoggle" of the war, pointed out that Congress had specifically refused to appropriate money for the building.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• betrayal
• deceit
• disinformation
• duplicity
• falsehood
• fraud
• hypocrisy
• lying
• mendacity
• treachery
• trickery
• untruth