bogey

1 of 3

noun (1)

bo·​gey
variants or less commonly bogie or bogy
plural bogeys also bogies
1
ˈbu̇-gē How to pronounce bogey (audio)
ˈbō-,
ˈbü-
: specter, phantom
2
ˈbō-gē,
 also  ˈbu̇-,
or
ˈbü- How to pronounce bogey (audio)
: a source of fear, perplexity, or harassment
3
\ ˈbō-​gē How to pronounce bogey (audio) \ golf
a
: one stroke over par on a hole
made a bogey on the second hole
b
chiefly British, dated : an average golfer's score used as a standard for a particular hole or course
He was the sort of player who does the first two holes in one under bogey and then takes an eleven at the third.P. G. Wodehouse
4
ˈbō-gē How to pronounce bogey (audio) : a numerical standard of performance set up as a mark to be aimed at especially in competition
5
ˈbō-gē How to pronounce bogey (audio) : an unidentified aircraft
especially : one not positively identified as friendly and so assumed to be hostile

bogey

2 of 3

verb

bo·​gey ˈbō-gē How to pronounce bogey (audio)
bogeyed; bogeying

transitive verb

: to shoot (a hole in golf) in one over par

bogey

3 of 3

noun (2)

bo·​gey

less common spelling of bogie entry 1

1
: a low strongly built cart
2
a
chiefly British : a swiveling railway truck
b
: the driving-wheel assembly consisting of the rear four wheels of a 6-wheel automotive truck
3
: a small supporting or aligning wheel (as on the inside perimeter of a tank tread)

Examples of bogey in a Sentence

Noun (1) He made a bogey on the second hole. He made bogey on the second hole. Verb She birdied the first hole but bogeyed the second hole.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Homa broke the record even with two bogeys, making 10 birdies in his round of 8-under 62 that gave him a two-shot lead over Kirk (66) going into the weekend of the FedEx Cup postseason event that determines who goes to Tour Championship. Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2023 His final round featured five birdies – including an excellent long putt on the fifth – as well as some wayward moments: a double bogey on the second hole and three further bogeys on the eighth, 11th and 16th. George Ramsay, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024 Cantlay was solid as ever Saturday in the Genesis Invitational until a soft bogey toward the end of the round that effectively cut his lead in half. Doug Ferguson, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2024 However, two bogeys on the back nine stopped his momentum. Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Cantlay and Spieth rolled in birdie putts moments apart at No. 6 to vault to the lead while Hoffman was making bogey six holes ahead. Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Woods, though, couldn’t sustain much momentum in his uneven round which also had seven pars and six bogeys. Jay Paris, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 Frittelli leads in Bahrain Dylan Frittelli took a two-shot lead at the Bahrain Championship despite a bogey on the final hole of a 3-under 69 in the third round on Saturday. arkansasonline.com, 4 Feb. 2024 Back-to-back bogeys on the 13th and 14th holes removed him from the conversation. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2024
Verb
Whether Clark – who subsequently found the fairway before bogeying the par-four hole – was guilty of the offense quickly became a topic of discussion on the NBC broadcast, with PGA Tour rules official Mark Dusbabek quizzed on air by announcer Dan Hicks about the incident. Jack Bantock, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Dressed all in white, Woods birdied the first, bogeyed the second and third and got back to even par by curling in a 15-footer for birdie at No. 6. Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Following his record round, Taylor had a 40-minute turnaround before his next tee time and bogeyed the par-4 first hole. John Marshall, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2024 More of them went on to win the tournament — Homa at the Farmers and Nick Taylor at the RBC Canadian Open — than bogeyed the hole. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2024 By Saturday afternoon, Nate Lashley and Costa Mesa’s Jake Knapp finished at 11-under and were waiting to see if Pavon, still in the lead at 12-under but having bogeyed 17, and/or Jaeger at 11-under would cough it up on 18. Jim Alexander, Orange County Register, 27 Jan. 2024 Over the next six holes the 2023 Ryder Cup teammates matched each other shot for shot, but Cantlay edged in front with a birdie on the 13th and another on the 14th while Spieth bogeyed to drop three shots back. Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Michael Kim bogeyed the South’s 11th hole Friday at Torrey Pines. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2024 At the qualifier at the Champions Club in Florida, Berry birdied his first two holes before bogeying the third hole. Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 17 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bogey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

probably alteration of bogle

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bogey was in 1826

Dictionary Entries Near bogey

Cite this Entry

“Bogey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bogey. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bogey

noun
bo·​gey
variants also bogy or bogie
plural bogeys also bogies
1
ˈbu̇g-ē,
ˈbō-gē,
ˈbü-gē
: ghost, phantom
2
ˈbō-gē,
 also  ˈbu̇g-ē,
 or  ˈbü-gē
: something one is afraid of especially without reason

More from Merriam-Webster on bogey

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!