malarkey

American

[muh-lahr-kee] / məˈlɑr ki /

Or malarky

noun

Informal.

speech or writing designed to obscure, mislead, or impress; bunkum.

The claims were just a lot of malarkey.

malarkey British

/ məˈlɑːkɪ /

noun

slang nonsense; rubbish

"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

Etymology

Origin of malarkey

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; origin uncertain

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.

President Biden called the allegations "a load of malarkey."

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2023

“I have two heroes: Bobby Kennedy. … And no malarkey, Dr. King,” Biden told the congregation.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 15, 2023

If only there was, like, an essential guide to how this World Cup draw malarkey works.

From The Guardian • Apr. 1, 2022

Let’s have no malarkey ’Cause we all know that malarkey doesn’t help.

From Washington Post • Nov. 18, 2021

It’s all that World War I malarkey that gets me.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023