noun
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empty talk; nonsense
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empty or insincere speechmaking by a politician to please voters or gain publicity
Etymology
Origin of bunkum
An Americansim dating back to 1815–20; after a speech in the16th Congress (1819–21), by F. Walker, who said he was bound to speak for Buncombe (a county in the district in North Carolina that he represented)
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.
"To suggest that we can't have effective scrutiny because of the size of the Senedd is a load of bunkum - look at the organ donation law, the smoking ban and plastic bags."
From BBC
Or in his own words - spat out in a Yorkshire growl - "bunkum and balderdash".
From BBC
I highly doubt Trump believed the bunkum he was peddling.
From Los Angeles Times
While we support the role of local prosecutors in pursuing criminal cases, Schmitt’s excuse is bunkum.
From Washington Times
But he dismissed as “utter bunkum” the former prime ministers’ worry that the Irish peace could unravel.
From Washington Post
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.
