boogie
Americannoun
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Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.
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a lively form of rock 'n' roll, based on the blues.
verb (used without object)
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to dance energetically, especially to rock music.
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Slang. to go (often followed byon down ).
We boogied on down to the club to catch the comedy act.
We're gonna be late—let's boogie.
verb
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to dance to pop music
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to make love
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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boogiesimple
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boogiessimple
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have boogiedperfect
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has boogiedperfect
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am boogieingprogressive
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are boogieingprogressive
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is boogieingprogressive
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have been boogieingperfect progressive
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has been boogieingperfect progressive
Past
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boogiedsimple
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had boogiedperfect
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was boogieingprogressive
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were boogieingprogressive
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had been boogieingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of boogie
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; of uncertain origin
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.
See Examples For:
In Little Sam’s Island & Beach Fun, boogie boards and water toys sat unrented in the near-empty shop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
Decked out in a resplendent orange-and-blue-striped zoot suit symbolizing the colors of his beloved New York Knicks, Spike Lee hit the Cannes Film Festival’s red carpet in May in full boogie mode.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
"Because that's my lineage and the things I grew up listening to. If you want to boogie on down, you listen to a Mette record."
From BBC ● May 29, 2024
Beyoncé has never sounded more southern as she sings, "It's a real-life boogie and a real-life hoedown."
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2024
The music is some kind of oldies rock 'n roll that Lola might boogie to while gardening.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
“It breaks my heart when they can’t even talk, participate, or play without having a cough attack or boogies constantly running down their noses.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2023
“And we’re bipartisan this year,” joked one of the night’s attendees, pointing out yet another change in the way Washington boogies in 2017.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 8, 2017
“All by Myself” is playing, as it was in the opening credits of the first movie—but then the song changes, and Bridget boogies to House of Pain’s “Jump Around.”
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 24, 2016
Virginia-born, New York-based singer Mabel Scott made a career singing boogies and boogie-woogies, but her salacious 1950 hit may be the most enduring smash in her catalog.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2014
Whether I play the blues or boogies, concertos or cantatas, I forget about me.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
Convention attendees also saw the moves of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who boogied his way to the stage to giggles in the room.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2024
“Moonage Daydream” won raves at May’s Cannes Film Festival, where Morgen memorably boogied down the red carpet to Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2022
Some gleeful fans turned around to shoot selfies with Bieber, who wore a a black skullcap, shades, a white hoodie and a sparkling necklace as he boogied in the background.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 2022
The 76-year-old showed no signs of poor health or even his age as he danced, pranced and boogied up and down a long catwalk that extended to the middle of the stadium's field.
From Fox News ● Aug. 23, 2019
And while the crowd clapped, called out, and boogied on that last song, Clayton found an opening to plead his case.
From "Clayton Byrd Goes Underground" by Rita Williams-Garcia
On Wednesday, Theresa May seemed to focus on the latter, making her entrance for her big conference speech by boogieing to Abba's Dancing Queen.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2018
Another photo of Trump boogieing at Le Club, the private watering hole in the 70’s on the Upper East Side where boomers went to show off and misbehave.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2018
Their bodies are notably stiffer than the average professional dancer, but they are here, they are boogieing, and they are ready for love.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2018
Related: Ian McKellen: 'Gandalf the Grey likes boogieing around Hobbiton and having a drink' “There’s nothing scary about acting with her,” he continued.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 21, 2015
I don’t know what he was doing, but he was boogieing now.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 19, 2015
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.
