- a variation of bogy.
bogey
1 Americannoun
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bogeys
plural
verb (used without object)
verb (used with or without object)
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bogeys
plural
noun
-
an evil or mischievous spirit
-
something that worries or annoys
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golf
-
a score of one stroke over par on a hole Compare par
-
obsolete a standard score for a hole or course, regarded as one that a good player should make
-
-
slang a piece of dried mucus discharged from the nose
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slang air force an unidentified or hostile aircraft
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slang a detective; policeman
verb
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bogey1
First recorded in 1890–95; spelling variant of bogy 2
Origin of bogey2
First recorded in 1845–50; from Dharuk, equivalent to bū- “bathe” + -gi past tense marker
Origin of bogey3
First recorded in 1985–90; in reference to Bogey or Bogie , nickname of Humphrey Bogart
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:
You see it in the professionals, who play better golf than we could play in 30 lifetimes, but then bogey a crucial hole and return to the clubhouse emotionally crushed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
It led to a fifth bogey of the round as he finished eight off the pace.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
On Saturday, she had seven birdies and a bogey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
On a day that will be remembered for a pair of long putts, Rai also went bogey free over the final 10 holes because he missed only one fairway in that span.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Heroes and bogey men, values and dislikes, are first encountered and labeled in that early environment.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
World number one and defending champion Scheffler, who had also triumphed in Memphis on Sunday, suffered a run of four bogeys through the opening seven holes, finding himself far down the field.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Sinking an early birdie on the fifth got the crowd going but starting the back half with bogeys on 10 and 12 threatened to deflate the mood.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
That took him to 11 under, but a title challenge from so far back always looked too big an ask and three more birdies were mixed with two bogeys as he finished five strokes behind.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
He carded three bogeys on the opening nine without a birdie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Harry rather thought some bogeys landed on the potatoes, and was inwardly thankful that they were not staying for dinner.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
McIlroy double-bogeyed the fourth hole and bogeyed the sixth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
Fowler bogeyed the 14th but produced an otherwise flawless round featuring nine birdies.
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
A day later she was briefly under par when she birdied the par-3 third hole, but she bogeyed the fourth and triple-bogeyed the par-4 fifth hole.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025
However, they registered only one birdie between them in their opening 10 holes and Yamashita's lead was cut to a single stroke when she bogeyed the 10th.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025
Li did likewise on 17 to get to 11 under but then bogeyed the last.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025
She steadied herself after bogeying the opening hole, only dropping one further shot following a three-putt at the 14th and picking up six birdies, including two in the closing three holes.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2025
After bogeying the first hole, Kim parred the next five before back-to-back-to-back birdies at seven, eight and nine.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2024
The 30-year-old Maryland native started slowly, bogeying the second hole.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 23, 2023
The six-time major champion stayed in the hunt the day before his 53rd birthday despite bogeying two of his final three holes.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 16, 2023
The lead allowed the four-time major winner to come home in relative comfort despite bogeying the last two holes.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2022
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.
