boondoggle
a wasteful and worthless project undertaken for political, corporate, or personal gain, typically a government project funded by taxpayers: Is high-speed rail a valuable addition to infrastructure, or a boondoggle?
work of little or no value done merely to keep or look busy.
a product of simple manual skill, as a plaited leather cord for the neck or a knife sheath, made typically by a camper or a scout.
to deceive or attempt to deceive: to boondoggle investors into a low-interest scheme.
to do work of little or no practical value merely to keep or look busy.
Origin of boondoggle
1Other words from boondoggle
- boon·dog·gler, noun
Words Nearby boondoggle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use boondoggle in a sentence
By leaving the Water Authority, our ratepayers would not have to pay a single additional dime for this boondoggle, should it eventually be approved.
Why We Want Out of the Water Authority | Jennifer DeMeo and Hayden Hamilton | May 12, 2021 | Voice of San DiegoThe boondoggles, wining and dining typically done at one of the industry’s biggest events may look different this summer, although details on particulars have yet to be disclosed.
‘The world of either is behind us’: Marketers predict the future of events will be a hybrid of online, in-person | Kimeko McCoy | April 14, 2021 | DigidayWhile the boondoggles, electric scooters swarms and exhibits may be nixed, marketers and brands are still finding ways to launch their products at the annual event.
‘The right place to launch’: Why a new voice-based platform is using SXSW to introduce the app | Kimeko McCoy | March 16, 2021 | DigidayIn new digital ads, the GOP's Senate committee warns voters that the American Rescue Act will be a boondoggle.
The Trailer: What the stimulus means for the next campaign | David Weigel | March 11, 2021 | Washington PostWithout the boondoggles of curated content, profile pictures and filtered images, Clubhouse and its users value transparency, Busby said.
‘Because it’s so new and fresh’: It took a minute, but brands are in the Clubhouse app | Seb Joseph | February 22, 2021 | Digiday
Want proof that the whole thing is nothing more than a political boondoggle?
While that may have some positive health effects, aggressive medical therapy is also a boondoggle for drug companies.
Doctors Should Start Advocating Dietary Options to Treat Heart Disease | Daniela Drake | July 11, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut really, aside from these nice side benefits, the whole thing is a boondoggle, at least it is for us.
To the conservative Heritage Foundation, comprehensive immigration reform is an epic boondoggle.
Immigrants’ IQ Lower, Wrote Coathor of Heritage Foundation Report | Jamelle Bouie | May 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST“The Dick Morris/Newsmax Super PAC boondoggle,” at Media Matters.
British Dictionary definitions for boondoggle
/ (ˈbuːnˌdɒɡəl) informal, mainly US and Canadian /
(intr) to do futile and unnecessary work
a futile and unnecessary project or work
Origin of boondoggle
1Derived forms of boondoggle
- boondoggler, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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