boondoggle
A trip or journey, especially a recreational or otherwise desirable one.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1935 · 1 year of recorded useSeen in the wild
I have Medicare. It has reasonable co-pays and I have never been denied a doctor or a treatment. Why everyone wouldn't want that over the current boondoggle I'll never know.
i am old now but i still think saying the word “boondoggle” should get you replaced in your commentary job for a younger model ngl
I heard someone was trying to sabotage Ireland’s energy future by suggesting an impossible boondoggle instead of already successful and in-progress solar and wind projects.
Zaeed threw money at a co-developed boondoggle... So you hate him?
(This isn't even talking about AI, as we've well established that AI can get absolutely right fucked. It's not a modern tool, it's just a fuckin boondoggle)
Definitions
A trip or journey, especially a recreational or otherwise desirable one.
Klein dismantles the boondoggle that is cap and trade.
“it was always going to be a tax-paid boondoggle. always. they were just playing the ‘dont look behind the curtain’ game to distract us. distract us from the other mobey-grab crap we havent seen yet”
— Bluesky· May 2026“@senategop.govpeeps.us @housegop.bsky.social IN NO WAY ARE WE PAYING FOR HIS ILLEGAL BOONDOGGLE OF THE EAST WING. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬”
— Bluesky· May 2026“What is your question asking? Why are we still developing better ways to get to space then a $30billion parts bin boondoggle (SLS)?”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Billion-dollar ballroom boondoggle. Come on Dems!”
— Bluesky· May 2026“No taxpayer dollars, eh? #8647 and the ballroom boondoggle too!”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
(especially, scouting) A braided ring to hold a neckerchief.
Opponents consider this another billion-dollar government boondoggle.
“I have Medicare. It has reasonable co-pays and I have never been denied a doctor or a treatment. Why everyone wouldn't want that over the current boondoggle I'll never know.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“i am old now but i still think saying the word “boondoggle” should get you replaced in your commentary job for a younger model ngl”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I heard someone was trying to sabotage Ireland’s energy future by suggesting an impossible boondoggle instead of already successful and in-progress solar and wind projects.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Zaeed threw money at a co-developed boondoggle... So you hate him?”
— Bluesky· May 2026“(This isn't even talking about AI, as we've well established that AI can get absolutely right fucked. It's not a modern tool, it's just a fuckin boondoggle)”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
(North American, figuratively, usually, politics) A waste of time or money; a pointless activity.
"boondoggle" means: A waste of time or money; a pointless activity.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"boondoggle" means: A waste of time or money; a pointless activity.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (American) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
Comments
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "boondoggle".
⚡About Tech, Dev & AI slang
The vocabulary of software engineers, AI researchers, and anyone living in a terminal or on GitHub — from LLM to MCP, CORS to vibe coding, agentic to enshittification.
See all Tech, Dev & AI slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "boondoggle" (B)
Browse all slang words starting with B.