Boer

[ bawr, bohr, boor; Dutch boor ]

/ bɔr, boʊr, bʊər; Dutch bur /

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noun

a South African of Dutch extraction.

adjective

of or relating to the Boers.

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Origin of Boer

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

Words nearby Boer

Boehm system, Boeotia, Boeotian, Boeotus, boep, Boer, boerbul, boere-, boeremusiek, boerewors, Boerhaave

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Boer in a sentence

When she heard about the horrible conditions of the camps, which housed Boer women and children, she began raising money and traveled to South Africa to visit the sites.
Best of OZY: Badass Women of History|Sean Culligan|May 28, 2021|Ozy
“The events are spread inside and outside the city,” says Boer.
Dutch Coronation Celebrations Clouded After Boston Marathon Bombing|Nadette De Visser|April 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“Speaking in general, it seems the atmosphere in the city today is completely different from the crowning in 1980,” says Boer.
Dutch Coronation Celebrations Clouded After Boston Marathon Bombing|Nadette De Visser|April 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
These are military and political debacles to rival the Boer War.
The Petraeus Revolution: How He Changed the American Way of War|John Barry|January 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The Tryhards Freddie de Boer, The New Inquiry Liberal pundits are surprisingly radical in their critiques of American meritocracy.
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads of 2012|David Sessions|December 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
During the Boer War, Canadians flocked to the colours to defend the British Empire.
Canada Comes to the Rescue of Great Britain, Again|Andrew Roberts|November 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
On one occasion Moffat halted at a farm belonging to a Boer, a man of wealth and importance, who had many slaves.
Robert Moffat|David J. Deane
With a start, and a look as though the man might have dropped from the clouds, the worthy Boer exclaimed, "Are you Africaner?"
Robert Moffat|David J. Deane
It seems almost incredible, but it is true that all such mishaps were attributed to Boer treachery.
The Relief of Mafeking|Filson Young
This first was the Boer hospital, and even at this early hour the air was pungent with the reek of strong tobacco.
The Relief of Mafeking|Filson Young
Then another shot cracked—from our side this time; the treacherous Boer, I was told, fell dead, and the action was over.
The Relief of Mafeking|Filson Young

British Dictionary definitions for Boer

Boer

/ (bʊə, ˈbəʊə, bɔː) /

noun, adjective

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
(as modifier)a Boer farm

Word Origin for Boer

C19: from Dutch Boer; see boor

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