bonehead

1 of 2

noun

bone·​head ˈbōn-ˌhed How to pronounce bonehead (audio)
: a stupid person : numbskull
boneheaded adjective
boneheadedness noun

bonehead

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a bonehead : performed in a stupid or clumsy manner
the shortstop made a bonehead play
2
: being a college course for students lacking fundamental skills
teaches bonehead English

Examples of bonehead in a Sentence

Noun the package's directions seem to suggest that anyone who would buy such a product is a bonehead Adjective a bonehead decision to trade their best player
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Just when they're getting used to being dead, the recently deceased Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis) find their home invaded by nouveau riche boneheads who want to market the house as a haunted tourist trap. Danny Horn, EW.com, 6 Oct. 2023 The Seahawks took a 17-16 lead into the half thanks to a bonehead play by Niners safety Jimmie Ward. Josh Dubow, oregonlive, 14 Jan. 2023 The Patriots pulled off one of the top five most-bonehead plays in post-merger NFL history in losing to the Raiders in Week 15. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 20 Dec. 2022 His all-time bonehead decision to go for it on fourth down gave the Browns life. Dan Labbe, cleveland, 9 Oct. 2022 Colts career, the quarterback has admittedly had a few bonehead moments, but from an overall perspective, Wentz is taking care of the football better than most of the quarterbacks in the NFL. Joel A. Erickson, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Nov. 2021 The context is his two bonehead interceptions put the day in a sinkhole. Dave Hyde, sun-sentinel.com, 24 Oct. 2021 No doubt the front office has made many mistakes, and the coaches have made enough bonehead moves to anger veteran players. Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press, 8 Aug. 2021 Fan incidents in Salt Lake City, New York and Philadelphia have preceded the water-throwing bonehead at the Garden and fan conduct is becoming a growing issue for players and the NBA. BostonGlobe.com, 31 May 2021
Adjective
Szturc late in the 2nd picked up a bonehead 10-minute misconduct for a mouthguard violation. Dylan Bumbarger, oregonlive, 30 Oct. 2022 Yours truly made the bonehead decision to fly to New York for Game 1 of that series the day after our post-marathon-bombing, shelter-in-place Friday. BostonGlobe.com, 29 May 2021 Bonehead volunteers, neverending work, and the smell of decaying fruit that lingers still beneath my nose. Leighshulman, Longreads, 8 Aug. 2017 If new Broncos coach Vance Joseph can prevent Talib from making more bonehead moves on or off the field in the next 12 months, Joseph will deserve coach of the year honors for that achievement alone. Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2017

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

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1903, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bonehead was in 1903

Dictionary Entries Near bonehead

Cite this Entry

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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