billabong

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UK/ˈbɪləˌbɒŋ/US/ˈbɪləˌbɔŋ/cot caught merger/ˈbɪləˌbɑŋ/

noun

An anabranch, backwater or oxbow lake that is temporarily cut off from the main river, especially one that is only filled with water during the rainy season and can sometimes dry up completely.

OriginWiradjuri bilabang →
Less commonScrabble 14
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Meanings

billabong1

nounbillabong (plural billabongs)

plural billabongs

  1. AustraliaAn anabranch, backwater or oxbow lake that is temporarily cut off from the main river, especially one that is only filled with water during the rainy season and can sometimes dry up completely.

    Oh there once was a swagman camped in the billabong, Under the shade of a coolibah tree, And he sang as he looked at the old billy boiling, 'Who'll come a'waltzing Matilda, with me.'

    1895, “Waltzing Matilda”, Banjo Paterson (lyrics)

Billabong2

proper noun
  1. A locality in the Shire of Wellington, south eastern Victoria, Australia.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
oxbow lake

Origin

  1. Wiradjuribung“dead”
  2. Wiradjuribong
  3. Wiradjuribila“river”
  4. Wiradjuribilabang
  5. Englishbillabong

From Wiradjuri bilabang, likely a compound from Wiradjuri bila (“river”) and Wiradjuri bong or Wiradjuri bung (“dead”).

More words from Wiradjuri

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

billabong. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/billabong

MLA

“billabong.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/billabong. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “billabong,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/billabong.

Source: billabong on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.