Meanings
bugger1
plural buggers
- obsoleteA heretic.
- CommonwealthHawaiiderogatoryslangA foolish or worthless person or thing; a despicable person.
My computer's being a bit of a bugger.
4 more examples
He's a silly bugger for losing his keys.
The bugger’s given me the wrong change.
1928, Frank Parker Day, Rockbound, Gutenberg Australia eBook #0500721h, “I’ll take it out on dat young bugger,” he thought viciously.
Here the cheers and shouts of the gallery were interrupted by a shabby little man in the back row who yelled out with piercing distinctness: “Don't matter what you call ’im now, George. The bugger’s dead.”
1947, James Hilton, So Well Remembered, Gutenberg Australia eBook #0600371h - CommonwealthHawaiislangA situation that is aggravating or causes dismay; a pain.
So you're stuck out in the woop-woop and the next train back is Thursday next week. Well, that's a bit of a bugger.
- CommonwealthHawaiislangSomeone viewed with affection; a chap.
How are you, you old bugger?
2 more examples
1946, Olaf Stapledon, Arms Out of Hand, in Collected Stories, Gutenberg Australia eBook #0601341, Good luck, you old bugger!
1953 February-March, Henry Beam Piper, John Joseph McGuire, Null-ABC, in Astounding Science Fiction, Gutenberg eBook #18346, “And if Pelton found out that his kids are Literates—Woooo!” Cardon grimaced. “Or what we've been doing to him. I hope I’m not around when that happens. I’m beginning to like the cantankerous old bugger.”
- CommonwealthslangSomeone who is very fond of something
I'm a bugger for Welsh cakes.
present singular third person buggers · participle present buggering · participle past buggered · past buggered
- CommonwealthtransitivevulgarTo have anal sex with, sodomize.
To be buggered sore like a hobo's whore (Attributed to Harry Mclintock's 1920s era Big Rock Candy Mountain)
- CommonwealthslangtransitivevulgarExpressing contemptuous dismissal of the grammatical object.
Oh, bugger this! I'm going out for a beer instead.
1 more example
Bugger Bognor. (Alleged to be the last words of King George V of the United Kingdom in response to a suggestion that he might recover from his illness and visit Bognor Regis.)
- CommonwealthIrelandUKslangtransitivevulgarAn expression of annoyance or displeasure.
Bugger, I've missed the bus.
1 more example
Dear Lord, forgive me for what I am about to, ah, say in this magnificent place of worship. Bugger. Bugger! Bugger-bugger-bugger-bugger!
1994, Richard Curtis, Four Weddings and a Funeral, spoken by Charles (Hugh Grant)
bugger2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSomeone who commits buggery; a sodomite.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomeone who engages in anal copulation (especially a male who engages in anal copulation with another male)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
bugger · noun, verb, interjection
- Proto-Turkic*bulga-
- Proto-Turkic*bulgar
- Old Turkic𐰉𐰆𐰞𐰍𐰀 (b¹wl¹g¹a)
- Old Church Slavonicблъгаринъ (blŭgarinŭ)
- Medieval LatinBulgarus
- Old Frenchbogre
- Middle Englishbougre
- Englishbugger
From Middle English bougre (“heretic”), from Old French bougre, from Medieval Latin Bulgarus (“Bulgar”), from Old Church Slavonic блъгаринъ (blŭgarinŭ, “Bulgarian”), used in designation of heretics (especially the Bogomils, who arose around the 10th century AD in the First Bulgarian Empire), to whom various sexual practices such as anal sex were ascribed. Doublet of Bulgar.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans bokker, bogger
- bokkerfoolish or worthless person, rascal
- boggerfoolish or worthless person, rascal
- bokkerslang: expressing annoyance
- boggerslang: expressing annoyance
Ancient Greek λακωνίζω
- λακωνίζω (lakōnízō)to have anal intercourse with
Bulgarian педераст, нехранимайка
- педераст (pederast)someone who commits buggery
- нехранимайка (nehranimajka)foolish or worthless person, rascal
- нехранимайко (nehranimajko)foolish or worthless person, rascal
- мухльо (muhljo)foolish or worthless person, rascal
- дееба (deeba)slang: expressing annoyance
Czech sodomita, debil
- sodomitasomeone who commits buggery
- debilfoolish or worthless person, rascal
- hovnodated slang: a damn
- zkurvitto ruin
- kurvaslang: expressing annoyance
Dutch sodemieter, sodemieter
- sodemietersomeone who commits buggery
- sodemieterdated slang: a damn
- verneukento ruin
Esperanto bugrulo, maniulo
- bugrulosomeone who commits buggery
- maniuloslang: someone very fond of something
- bugrito have anal intercourse with
- fekslang: expressing annoyance
Finnish luonnonvastainen, pervertikko
- luonnonvastainensomeone who commits buggery
- pervertikkosomeone who commits buggery
- tollofoolish or worthless person, rascal
- kusipääfoolish or worthless person, rascal
- lurjusfoolish or worthless person, rascal
- ryökälefoolish or worthless person, rascal
- retkufoolish or worthless person, rascal
- vintiöfoolish or worthless person, rascal
- retalefoolish or worthless person, rascal
- renttufoolish or worthless person, rascal
- kamuslang: someone viewed with affection
- hemmoslang: someone viewed with affection
- harrastaa anaaliseksiäto have anal intercourse with
- panna perseeseento have anal intercourse with
- pilatato ruin
- rikkoato ruin
- panna paskaksito ruin
- pahusslang: expressing annoyance
- hitsislang: expressing annoyance
French sodomite, tête de nœud
- sodomitesomeone who commits buggery
- tête de nœudfoolish or worthless person, rascal
- abrutifoolish or worthless person, rascal
- glandufoolish or worthless person, rascal
- rascalslang: someone viewed with affection
- vieille brancheslang: someone viewed with affection
- fonduslang: someone very fond of something
- empafferto have anal intercourse with
- enculerto have anal intercourse with
- sodomiserto have anal intercourse with
- ravagerto ruin
- ruinerto ruin
- merdeslang: expressing annoyance
- bordelslang: expressing annoyance
- nom de Dieuslang: expressing annoyance
German Sodomit, Arschficker
- Sodomitsomeone who commits buggery
- Arschfickersomeone who commits buggery
- Lumpfoolish or worthless person, rascal
- Mistkerlfoolish or worthless person, rascal
- Arschlochfoolish or worthless person, rascal
- Kumpelslang: someone viewed with affection
- Kerlslang: someone viewed with affection
- Fanslang: someone very fond of something
- versauento ruin
- verpfuschento ruin
- ruinierento ruin
- vermurksento ruin
Greek βλάκας, ξεκωλώνω
- βλάκας (vlákas)foolish or worthless person, rascal
- ξεκωλώνω (xekolóno)to have anal intercourse with
- ξεκωλιάζω (xekoliázo)to have anal intercourse with
- καταστρέφω (katastréfo)to ruin
- σκατά (skatá)slang: expressing annoyance
Hindi गांडू
- गांडू (gāṇḍū)someone who commits buggery
Hungarian szívás
- szívásslang: a situation that causes dismay
Italian inculare, sodomizzare
- inculareto have anal intercourse with
- sodomizzareto have anal intercourse with
- buggerareto have anal intercourse with
Latin pēdīcō
- pēdīcōto have anal intercourse with
Māori pokokōhua, pōkōtiwha
- pokokōhuafoolish or worthless person, rascal
- pōkōtiwhafoolish or worthless person, rascal
- atāslang: expressing annoyance
- kai a te kurīslang: expressing annoyance
- āhahāslang: expressing annoyance
Polish skurwysyn, cwelić
- skurwysynslang: someone viewed with affection
- cwelićto have anal intercourse with
- przecwelićto have anal intercourse with
- pierdolićto ruin
- spierdolićto ruin
- rozpierdalaćto ruin
- rozpierdolićto ruin
- szajs!slang: expressing annoyance
- kurwa!slang: expressing annoyance
Portuguese um puto, enrabar
- um putodated slang: a damn
- enrabarto have anal intercourse with
- ir ao cuto have anal intercourse with
- tomar no cuto have anal intercourse with
- levar no cuto have anal intercourse with
Russian содомит, лома́ть
- содомит (sodomit)someone who commits buggery
- лома́ть (lomátʹ)to ruin
- по́ртить (pórtitʹ)to ruin
Scottish Gaelic cac
- cacslang: expressing annoyance
Slovak blbec
- blbecfoolish or worthless person, rascal
Spanish pervertido, sodomita
- pervertidosomeone who commits buggery
- sodomitasomeone who commits buggery
- bugarrónsomeone who commits buggery
- bujarrónsomeone who commits buggery
- encularto have anal intercourse with
- sodomizarto have anal intercourse with
- dar por el culoto have anal intercourse with
Swedish fan också, helvete
- fan ocksåslang: expressing annoyance
- helveteslang: expressing annoyance
- skitslang: expressing annoyance
Urdu گانڈو
- گانڈو (gāṅḍū)someone who commits buggery
Welsh bygyr
- bygyrslang: expressing annoyance
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with bugger
Cite this entry
bugger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bugger
“bugger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bugger. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bugger,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bugger.
Source: bugger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.