bogey
1 Americannoun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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an evil or mischievous spirit
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something that worries or annoys
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golf
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a score of one stroke over par on a hole Compare par
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obsolete a standard score for a hole or course, regarded as one that a good player should make
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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:
“I was just feeling like the hole was so big today,” said Talley, who has gone 22 consecutive holes without 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
The difficult putting surfaces contributed to only one player - in-form American Patrick Reed, who is one shot off the lead - signing a card which was bogey free.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
A double bogey would have pushed McIlroy into a playoff against none other than world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 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
The Scot began with a birdie but four bogeys in the following nine holes effectively ended his hopes.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 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
Lee, who played at UCLA, cooled a bit Saturday with two bogeys in her first four holes and was midway through her round at press time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 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
Fitzpatrick bogeyed the 10th but birdied the next three, while Chacarra responded at the 13th to stay in front before missing a birdie chance at the 14th.
From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2026
Only five of 51 players birdied it while 11 bogeyed it Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2026
It was in stark contrast to Lee's finish Saturday, when the 27-year-old had bogeyed the final two holes and dramatically tossed his ball into the Pacific Ocean in frustration.
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
Two shots became three when playing partner Fitzpatrick bogeyed the 11th to drop alongside Li on 10 under.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025
After bogeying the first hole, Phillips birdied the second, eagled the third and birdied the fourth to vault to the top of the leaderboard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025
Bradley had looked out of contention when he fell a shot back by bogeying the par-four 14th.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2025
Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, who led jointly with Schauffele after round three, opened with 14 straight pars before bogeying the 15th.
From BBC ● May 19, 2024
“So I told my caddie that’s the least mad I’m ever going to be bogeying the last three.”
From Washington Times ● Jun. 1, 2023
Spanish player Adri Arnaus briefly held the lead on 13 under after eight holes of his round, but he fell away after bogeying No. 9 and making double-bogey at the par-5 13th.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 29, 2023
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.
