boonies
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of boonies
First recorded in 1950–55; see origin at boon(docks), -ie
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.
Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson evoke the small-bore unraveling of new parenthood in the boonies, with Lawrence in particular throwing her whole body into a creeping alienation from one’s spouse and oneself.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025
Anne E. Thompson’s understated performance as Dani, a rookie cop patrolling the boonies, crept up slowly like a colt finding her hind legs.
From New York Times • Dec. 4, 2023
After losing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete in nationals, they're left to fend for themselves in the forested boonies of Canada.
From Salon • Dec. 19, 2021
In contrast, New York and other older Eastern cities were already overflowing, and courses had to be built in the boonies.
From Golf Digest • Apr. 17, 2020
In an odd way, though, there were times when I missed the adventure, even the danger, of the real war out in the boonies.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
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.
