bogey
1 Americannoun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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an evil or mischievous spirit
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something that worries or annoys
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golf
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a score of one stroke over par on a hole Compare par
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obsolete a standard score for a hole or course, regarded as one that a good player should make
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slang a piece of dried mucus discharged from the nose
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slang air force an unidentified or hostile aircraft
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slang a detective; policeman
verb
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bogey1
First recorded in 1890–95; spelling variant of bogy 2
Origin of bogey2
First recorded in 1845–50; from Dharuk, equivalent to bū- “bathe” + -gi past tense marker
Origin of bogey3
First recorded in 1985–90; in reference to Bogey or Bogie , nickname of Humphrey Bogart
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:
And he didn’t card a single bogey in the final two rounds, which kept him safe while Scheffler shot up the leaderboard with a final round 63.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
But Fox heated up right when he needed to with four birdies, a bogey and a par to round out his card.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
“I was just feeling like the hole was so big today,” said Talley, who has gone 22 consecutive holes without a bogey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
One of the reasons he's being pushed towards the exit is not just because of that old bogey man "comms" - his trouble with telling the public a convincing story.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
He was just some sort of bogey that lived in bad dreams and the dark corners of imagination.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
That took him to 11 under, but a title challenge from so far back always looked too big an ask and three more birdies were mixed with two bogeys as he finished five strokes behind.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
He carded three bogeys on the opening nine without a birdie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Lee, who played at UCLA, cooled a bit Saturday with two bogeys in her first four holes and was midway through her round at press time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
In addition the first hole, Juarez birdied the seventh, ninth, 12th and 14th to make up for bogeys at the second, fourth and 13th, all par fours.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
Harry rather thought some bogeys landed on the potatoes, and was inwardly thankful that they were not staying for dinner.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
McIlroy double-bogeyed the fourth hole and bogeyed the sixth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
American world number one Scottie Scheffler bogeyed the 18th in a round of 71 that left him three under.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026
Only five of 51 players birdied it while 11 bogeyed it Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2026
It was in stark contrast to Lee's finish Saturday, when the 27-year-old had bogeyed the final two holes and dramatically tossed his ball into the Pacific Ocean in frustration.
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
Li did likewise on 17 to get to 11 under but then bogeyed the last.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025
To win last year, McIlroy needed to beat Justin Rose - who finished tied third on Sunday having led by two at the turn - in a sudden death play-off after bogeying the 72nd hole.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
As for Spaun, he showed admirable composure throughout his round, including an outstanding par putt from 25 feet on the final hole when he seemed to be faltering, after bogeying the 17th.
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2025
After bogeying the first hole, Kim parred the next five before back-to-back-to-back birdies at seven, eight and nine.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2024
After bogeying three of the last six holes on the front nine, she played a four-hole stretch on the back nine in 4 under.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
“So I told my caddie that’s the least mad I’m ever going to be bogeying the last three.”
From Washington Times ● Jun. 1, 2023
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.
