bogan
noun
a backwater, usually narrow and tranquil.
bogan
1 American
[boh-guhn]
/ ˈboʊ gən /
noun
Northern Maine and Canadian (chiefly Maritimes and Northern New Brunswick).
-
a backwater, usually narrow and tranquil.
-
any narrow stretch of water.
Bogan
2
American
[boh-gan, boh-guhn]
/ boʊˈgæn, ˈboʊ gən /
noun
bogan
1
British
/ ˈbəʊɡən /
noun
-
a fool
-
a hooligan
bogan
2
British
/ ˈbəʊɡən /
noun
Etymology
Origin of bogan
First recorded in 1895–1900; apparently shortening of pokelogan, perhaps conflated with bog 1
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.
But Louis argues bogan is the ultimate equaliser as the informal slang works across the social spectrum, whether it's in Australia or the world of Russian aristocrats.
From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025
Except this is a "bogan" version translated by Ander Louis, the pen name of a Melbourne IT worker who moonlights as a writer.
From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025
Dr. Laugesen noted that “fauxgan,” or fake bogan, was becoming the bigger insult, while finding your “inner bogan” was an honorable goal, suggesting Australians were eager to reclaim their more unsophisticated past.
From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2022
They told me it was boring, or bogan, or suburban, or confronting, or sexy or entertaining, but no one said it was funny.
From The Guardian • Nov. 14, 2019
To my surprise, I found the general direction was westward, until it joined the bogan.
From Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia by Mitchell, Thomas
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.
