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definitions

bouse

1

or bowse

[bous, bouz]
verb (used with object), boused, bous·ing. Nautical.
  1. to haul with tackle.

Origin of bouse

1
First recorded in 1585–95; of uncertain origin

bouse

2

or bowse

[booz, bouz]
noun
  1. liquor or drink.
  2. a drinking bout; carouse.
verb (used with or without object), boused, bous·ing.
  1. to drink, especially to excess.

Origin of bouse

2
1250–1300; Middle English bous strong drink < Middle Dutch būsen drink to excess; cf. booze
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bouse

Historical Examples of bouse

  • The wandering beggar says "skimish" for drink, but city beggars say "bouse."

    Beggars

    W. H. (William Henry) Davies

  • Booze, or bouse, is supposed to come from the Dutch buysen, though the word has been in use in England for some hundreds of years.

    The Slang Dictionary

    John Camden Hotten

British Dictionary definitions for bouse

bouse

bowse

verb
  1. (tr) nautical to raise or haul with a tackle

Word Origin for bouse

C16: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012