bunger

[ buhng-er ]
/ ˈbʌŋ ər /

noun Australian.

a firecracker.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bunger

perhaps bung3 + -er1

Words nearby bunger

bungaloid, bungalow, bungee, bungee cord, bungee jumping, bunger, bunghole, bungle, bunglesome, bungstarter, bungwall

Definition for bunger (2 of 2)

bung2
[ buhng ]
/ bʌŋ /

adjective Australian.

out of order; broken; unusable.
bankrupt.
Slang. dead.

Origin of bung

2
1840–50; perhaps < Waga (Australian Aboriginal language spoken around Kingaroy, S Queensland) bongī dead
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for bunger

  • He was a remarkably powerful man, and was known by the name of Old Bunger.

    Cornish Characters|S. Baring-Gould

  • "No, he's not such a bunger," and dashed off towards the paddock.

    The Green Carnation|Robert Smythe Hichens

British Dictionary definitions for bunger (1 of 4)

bunger
/ (ˈbʌŋə) /

noun

Australian slang a firework

British Dictionary definitions for bunger (2 of 4)

bung1
/ (bʌŋ) /

noun

a stopper, esp of cork or rubber, for a cask, piece of laboratory glassware, etc
short for bunghole

verb (tr)

(often foll by up) to close or seal with or as with a bungthe car's exhaust was bunged up with mud
British and Australian slang to throw; sling

Word Origin for bung

C15: from Middle Dutch bonghe, from Late Latin puncta puncture

British Dictionary definitions for bunger (3 of 4)

bung2
/ (bʌŋ) British slang /

noun

a gratuity; tip
a bribe

verb

bung it on (tr) to behave in a pretentious manner

Word Origin for bung

C16 (originally in the sense: a purse): perhaps from Old English pung, changed over time through the influence of bung 1

British Dictionary definitions for bunger (4 of 4)

bung3
/ (bʌŋ) /

adjective Australian and NZ informal

useless
go bung
  1. to fail or collapse
  2. to die

Word Origin for bung

C19: from a native Australian language
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