bogey

1 of 3

noun (1)

bo·​gey

variants or less commonly bogie or bogy

plural bogeys also bogies

1

ˈbu̇-gē  ˈbō-  ˈbü-  : specter, phantom

2

ˈbō-gē 

also

ˈbu̇- 

or

ˈbü-  : a source of fear, perplexity, or harassment

3

\ ˈbō-​gē \ 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  : a numerical standard of performance set up as a mark to be aimed at especially in competition

5

ˈbō-gē  : 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 

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)

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• bête noire
• black beast
• bugaboo
• bugbear
• dread
• hobgoblin
• ogre

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

Playing in the first group, Wong birdied the second hole and made up for his lone mistake (a bogey on No. 3) with birdies at seven and 11 to maintain a slim lead. —Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025

Riebe carded the day’s wildest round, which included a double bogey, three bogeys, four birdies and an eagle. —Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2025

Verb

DeChambeau was kicked in the teeth by the Green Mile, bogeying No. 16 and dunking his tee shot on 17 before carding double bogey. —Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 18 May 2025

After two birdies to open the round, DeChambeau fell into a funk, bogeying three times over the next 10 holes to fall down the leaderboard. —Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025

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

Phrases Containing bogey

• double bogey
• triple bogey

Rhymes for bogey

• yogi
• muscogee

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