bupkis

B3U1P3K5I1S1
/ˈbʌp.kɪs/Yiddish influenced/ˈbɔp.kɪs/

noun

Absolutely nothing; nothing of value, significance, or substance.

“We searched for hours and found bupkis.”

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Scrabble 14

Meanings

nounbupkis (uncountable)

alternative bobkes · alternative bobkis · alternative bopkes · alternative bopkus · alternative bubkes · alternative bubkess · alternative bubkis · alternative bubkiss · alternative bumpkiss · alternative bupkas · alternative bupkass · alternative bupkes · alternative bupkiss · alternative bupkus

  1. USslanguncountableAbsolutely nothing; nothing of value, significance, or substance.

    We searched for hours and found bupkis.

    2 more examples

    But we did nothing, absolutely bupkis that day / And I say, what the hell am I doing drinking in L.A. at 26?

    1997, “Drinking in L.A.”, performed by Bran Van 3000

    She answered her own question. “Without the connection to other people,” she said, “you have bupkis.”

    2022 April 20, John Leland, quoting Robin Solod, “How Loneliness Is Damaging Our Health”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

    Synonyms: zilch

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAbsolutely nothing; nothing of value, significance, or substance.

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Origin

  1. Proto-Slavic*bobъ“bean, fava bean”
  2. Yiddishבאָבקעס
  3. Englishbupkis

Borrowed prior to 1931 from Yiddish באָבקעס (bobkes), plural of באָבקע (bobke, “goat or sheep dropping”), from באָב (bob, “bean”) + ־קע (-ke) calquing Polish bobek (“oval-shaped turd”), ultimately from Proto-Slavic *bobъ (“bean, fava bean”). Popularized by American Jewish writer Sam Denoff in mid-1960s The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Danish bar røv at trutte i
  • bar røv at trutte iabsolutely nothing
Finnish ei jälkeäkään
  • ei jälkeäkäänabsolutely nothing
German gar nichts
  • gar nichtsabsolutely nothing
Romanian canci, nexam
  • canciabsolutely nothing
  • nexamabsolutely nothing
Spanish nada
  • nadaabsolutely nothing
Swedish inte ett skvatt
  • inte ett skvattabsolutely nothing
Yiddish באָבקעס
  • באָבקעס (bobkes)absolutely nothing

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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