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.
See Examples For:
He says in more recent times, the term has also been used affectionately of someone considered a bogan or even in reference to oneself such as the term "inner bogan".
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025
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
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
Lambie quickly appropriated the insult: “I will use the business contacts, advice and wisdom I’ve gained … to help restore hope and rebuild our beautiful state – not bad for a bogan.’
From US News ● Jul. 22, 2014
Again they double the bend and try to hide; again the canoe overtakes them; and so on, mile after mile, till a stream or bogan flowing into the river offers a road to escape.
From Ways of Wood Folk by Copeland, Charles
Economist Vicki Bogan, who wasn’t involved with creating the formula, views it as a useful bridge between academic theory and everyday investors’ needs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
“It might not be perfect, but it gives a solid, kind of directionally correct way to think about your portfolio choice,” said Bogan, a professor at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
Bogan, a term which first emerged in Australia in the 1980s, initially meant an "unsophisticated and uncultured person" with negative connotations, but not for Louis.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025
In one sense, the experiment arose from Bogan turning a potential setback into an opportunity.
From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2024
Mike Bogan and Biddy his wife looked behind them again and again.
From Strangers and Wayfarers by Jewett, Sarah Orne
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.
