a soldier who does not meet the minimum standards of marksmanship.
a clumsy or incompetent soldier.
First recorded in 1900–05; from Philippine Spanish; further origin uncertain
First recorded in 1915–20; said to be after Bolo Pascha (died 1918), German agent in France during World War I
First recorded in 1975–80
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The groom wore a bespoke mallard green suit and ornate bolo tie for the ceremony, per Vogue, while the bride rocked some 5-inch Louboutin heels under her Oscar de la Renta gown.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
A chicken salad sandwich featured notably tender chicken-hunks — cooked in a combi oven — with local crabapple sauce, a restrained allspice-ginger aioli and pickled radish for contrast, all on a warm, cushy bolo roll.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
Perhaps the most confounding person on the list is Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a Coloradan who, according to the Times, would wear bolo ties and “roar… around town on a highly accessorized Harley-Davidson.”
From Slate ● Dec. 9, 2022
"More than anything my TikTok is a work tool," said Novoa, who also sells bolo through his channel.
From Reuters ● Nov. 12, 2022
When Luke looked at Ricky, he realized he was wearing a pair of pressed blue jeans and a button-up cowboy shirt, complete with bolo tie.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
That’s 25 seasons, or over a thousand episodes that told us to always BOLO, or be on the lookout.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2023
The man reportedly fit the description of a "BOLO," which means "be on the lookout" for an individual who authorities believe might have a weapon.
From Fox News ● Nov. 4, 2021
There was a false Pasha named BOLO, Who sank in iniquity so low.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, October 17, 1917 by Various
Campbell wore his hair in a salt-and-pepper ponytail; fashioned traditional, Native American jewelry on the side; and eschewed neckties, de rigueur for Senate attire, in favor of bolos when appearing on the floor.
From Fox News ● Jul. 8, 2020
He wore bolos and flannel shirts and polyester pants.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 30, 2018
And I did recently rip into my own grandmother for buying Thomas' English Muffins when she has a local bakery nearby making artisan Portuguese bolos — which everyone knows is better!
From Chicago Tribune ● Dec. 27, 2010
There were a few shrieks, and bolos whizzed.
From Time Magazine Archive
There are also at Calasiao, and in some other towns, blacksmiths who forge excellent bolos or wood-knives from the iron-bands taken off bales of cotton cloth or sacking.
From The Inhabitants of the Philippines by Sawyer, Frederic H.
"I'd rather be boloed than tell you," he said.
From The Tracer of Lost Persons by Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William)
You've been boloed on outpost and gone to heaven, and you don't know it.'
From Sonnie-Boy's People by Connolly, James B. (James Brendan)
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.
