bogey
1 Americannoun
-
bogeys
plural
verb (used without object)
verb (used with or without object)
-
bogeys
plural
noun
-
an evil or mischievous spirit
-
something that worries or annoys
-
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
-
slang air force an unidentified or hostile aircraft
-
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:
But Fox heated up right when he needed to with four birdies, a bogey and a par to round out his card.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
He needed to step high to get to the ball but was able to hit it out of the area, eventually making bogey on the par-four hole.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
A bogey on the 17th left him needing to par the last, which he did after knocking a superb 53-foot birdie putt to within inches of the hole.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
It led to a fifth bogey of the round as he finished eight off the pace.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
He was just some sort of bogey that lived in bad dreams and the dark corners of imagination.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
“On 16 I had an eight-footer for par that lipped out and she parred, so now all of a sudden I’m down one,” said Phillips, who finished with three birdies, an eagle and four bogeys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Her round still contained three bogeys and her last birdie came on 13, preventing a further climb up the leaderboard.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
She lipped out for birdie on the sixth and seventh before a lengthy par save on the 15th prevented back-to-back bogeys.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 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
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
His son, however, bogeyed that hole on his way to a 4-over 76 for the round.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
Fowler bogeyed the 14th but produced an otherwise flawless round featuring nine birdies.
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
Hatton bogeyed 16 to finish on eight under.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025
The Californian, who started the round one shot off leader Sam Burns, bogeyed five of his first six holes to seemingly drop out of contention.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2025
He birdied four of the next five holes before bogeying the last.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
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 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
Zanotti, who has two tour wins, had four birdies and one eagle on the seventh hole before bogeying the 16th to end his day with a 67.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 17, 2023
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
