DEFINITIONS

bouse

1

or bowse

[ bous, bouz ]
/ baʊs, baʊz /
|

verb (used with object), boused, bous·ing. Nautical.

to haul with tackle.

Content related to bouse

The Many, Many Words For DrunkardsGrab your drink of choice and join us as we look back on some of the best words for drunkards from history.
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Words nearby bouse

bournonite, bournonville, bourrée, bourse, bourtree, bouse, bousouki, boustrophedon, bousy, bout, boutade

Origin of bouse

1
First recorded in 1585–95; of uncertain origin

Definition for bouse (2 of 2)

bouse2

or bowse

[ booz, bouz ]
/ buz, baʊz /

noun

liquor or drink.
a drinking bout; carouse.

verb (used with or without object), boused, bous·ing.

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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

/ (baʊz) /

verb

(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