Boer

American

[bawr, bohr, boor, boor] / bɔr, boʊr, bʊər, bur /

noun

a South African of Dutch extraction.

adjective

of or relating to the Boers.

Boer British

/ ˈbəʊə, bʊə, bɔː /

noun

1. a descendant of any of the Dutch or Huguenot colonists who settled in South Africa, mainly in Cape Colony, the Orange Free State, and the Transvaal
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a Boer farm

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Boer

First recorded in 1825–35; Afrikaans, from Dutch: “peasant, farmer”; see boor

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:

Boer

The war was fought between 1899 and 1902 between the British Empire and the two independent Boer states who were vying for control of South Africa.

From BBC ● May 12, 2026

Like Gray, the chef Clare de Boer spent many years working in a cramped—and coveted—New York restaurant: King, which she opened with two partners in the West Village in 2016.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

De Boer also embraces a tavern’s essential function as a community hub.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

De Boer was fired during the pandemic-marred 2020 season after United went winless in the “MLS Is Back” tournament.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2024

We supplied Mrs. De Boer with ration cards and had arranged an emergency appendectomy from there.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023