Did you know?
Did you expect brogue to be defined as "an Irish accent"? We're sure you're not alone: brogue has two homographs (words that are spelled—and, in this case, pronounced—the same but have different origins or parts of speech). The brogue that refers to the shoe comes from the Irish word bróg and Scottish Gaelic bròg, and likely traces back to an Old Norse term meaning "leg covering." (That ancestor is related to an ancestor of the English word breech.) Originating in Ireland, the brogue was designed to be a worker's shoe and was made from untanned hides. The "accent" brogue comes from a different Irish word, barróg, which can refer to an accent or speech impediment and translates literally as "tight grip."
Examples of brogue in a Sentence
Escher Walcott, People.com, 6 May 2025
The British actor is starring in Church’s spring 2025 campaign, playing a modern Englishman in relaxed tailoring and various footwear styles, from a suede loafer to an Oxford brogue.
—Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 7 Apr. 2025
For a few hours a day at low tide, architects, teachers, students, police officers, builders, bakers and dog walkers across London swap their stilettos, sneakers and brogues for rubber boots.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Apr. 2025
Paolo also found Hepburn pants and Max Mara brogues that had tassels on the front.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brogue
Cite this Entry
“Brogue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brogue. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
brogue
2 of 2 nounNoun
from Irish bróg and Scottish Gaelic bròg "stout shoe," derived from an early Norse word meaning "leg covering"
Noun
Irish barróg "accent, speech impediment," literally, "wrestling grip, tight hold"
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