bogy

¹ American  

[boh-gee, boog-ee, boo-gee] / ˈboʊ gi, ˈbʊg i, ˈbu gi /

Also bogey or bogie

noun

• bogies
  plural

1. a hobgoblin; evil spirit.

2. anything that haunts, frightens, annoys, or harasses.

3. something that functions as a real or imagined barrier that must be overcome, bettered, etc..

   Fear is the major bogy of novice mountain climbers. A speed of 40 knots is a bogy for motorboats.

4. Military. bogey.

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bogy ² American  

[boh-gee] / ˈboʊ gi /

noun

• bogies
  plural

1. bogie.

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bogy British  

/ ˈbəʊɡɪ /

noun

1. a variant spelling of bogey 1 bogie 1

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bogies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bogy

1830–40; bog, variant of bug ² (noun) + -y ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bogy bogies

Lopez-Chacarra overcame a triple bogy on the long par-4 seventh and tied Sargent for the lead with a short birdie on the par-4 15th.

From Seattle Times ● May 30, 2022

In the 1950s, 3D was wheeled out to upstage television, the industry bogy of that era.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 5, 2010

The bogy behind much of the adverse change in the job market is global competition, the single most powerful economic fact of life in the 1990s.

From Time Magazine Archive

Though the accusation is routinely made in many campaigns, the bossism bogy rankled Goldberg.

From Time Magazine Archive

And really Tom did not know; but: the suspicious old bogy would not believe him.

From The Water-Babies A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby by Warwick Goble

Defending champion Nick Taylor, who had been in a share of the lead after two rounds, slipped back to tied-fifth with a disappointing 70 that included four bogies.

From Barron's ● Jan. 18, 2026

He had no bogies, seven birdies and an eagle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2025

Wu, the Chinese player who finished in a tie for 79th in Spain last year, took the early lead after making eight birdies and no bogies in a round of 8-under 63.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2022

The book emphasized the critical importance of conquering such "bogies of the imagination" as "If you are forced down at sea, a shark is sure to amputate your leg."

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2021

Puffskein is a scavenger that will eat anything from leftovers to spiders, but it has a particular preference for sticking its tongue up the nose of sleeping wizards and eating their bogies.

From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling