Standard Lemma guide

bugger

intj · noun · verb · 15 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbʌɡə/
  • General-American: /ˈbʌɡəɹ/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʌɡə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: B AH1 G ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

intj

Meaning 1

An expression of annoyance or displeasure.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, slang, transitive, vulgar

Examples

  • Bugger, I've missed the bus.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A heretic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Someone who commits buggery; a sodomite.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK

Topics: law

Examples

  • The British Sexual Offences Act of 1967 is a buggers’ charter.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A foolish or worthless person or thing; a despicable person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, Hawaii, derogatory, slang

Examples

  • He's a silly bugger for losing his keys.
  • The bugger’s given me the wrong change.
  • My computer's being a bit of a bugger.
  • 1928, Frank Parker Day, Rockbound, Gutenberg Australia eBook #0500721h, “I’ll take it out on dat young bugger,” he thought viciously.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A situation that is aggravating or causes dismay; a pain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, Hawaii, slang

Examples

  • 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.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Someone viewed with affection; a chap.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, Hawaii, slang

Examples

  • How are you, you old bugger?
  • 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.”

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A damn, anything at all.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, slang

Examples

  • I don't give a bugger how important you think it is.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

Someone who is very fond of something

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, slang

Examples

  • I'm a bugger for Welsh cakes.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

A whippersnapper, a tyke.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, US, slang

Examples

  • What is that little bugger up to now?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

One who sets a bug (surveillance device); one who bugs.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, transitive, vulgar

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

To have anal sex with, sodomize.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, transitive, vulgar

Examples

  • To be buggered sore like a hobo's whore (Attributed to Harry Mclintock's 1920s era Big Rock Candy Mountain)

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

verb

Meaning 12

To break or ruin.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, slang, transitive, vulgar

Examples

  • This computer is buggered! Oh no! I've buggered it up.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

verb

Meaning 13

Expressing contemptuous dismissal of the grammatical object.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, slang, transitive, vulgar

Examples

  • 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.)
  • Oh, bugger this! I'm going out for a beer instead.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

someone who engages in anal copulation (especially a male who engages in anal copulation with another male)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sodomite, sodomist, sod

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pervert, deviant, deviate, degenerate

15

verb

Meaning 15

practice anal sex upon

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sodomize, sodomise

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: copulate, mate, pair, couple

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Turkic *bulga-der. Proto-Turkic *bulgar Old Turkic 𐰉𐰆𐰞𐰍𐰀 (b1ul1ǧa) Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Slavic *-inъ Old Church Slavonic -инъ (-inŭ) Old Church Slavonic блъгаринъ (blŭgarinŭ)der. Medieval Latin Bulgarusder. Old French bogrebor. Middle English bougre English bugger 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.

Etymology tree English bug Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English bugger From bug (noun) + -er.

Across languages

Translations

117 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: bokker — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Afrikaans: bogger — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Bulgarian: дееба (deeba) — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Czech: kurva — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Esperanto: fek — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Finnish: pahus — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Finnish: hitsi — slang: expressing annoyance
  • French: merde — slang: expressing annoyance
  • French: bordel — slang: expressing annoyance
  • French: nom de Dieu — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Greek: σκατά (skatá) — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Māori: atā — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Māori: kai a te kurī — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Māori: āhahā — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Polish: szajs! — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Polish: kurwa! — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Scottish Gaelic: cac — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Swedish: fan också — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Swedish: helvete — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Swedish: skit — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Welsh: bygyr — slang: expressing annoyance
  • Bulgarian: педераст (pederast) — someone who commits buggery
  • Czech: sodomita — someone who commits buggery
  • Dutch: sodemieter — someone who commits buggery
  • Esperanto: bugrulo — someone who commits buggery
  • Finnish: luonnonvastainen — someone who commits buggery
  • Finnish: pervertikko — someone who commits buggery
  • French: sodomite — someone who commits buggery
  • German: Sodomit — someone who commits buggery
  • German: Arschficker — someone who commits buggery
  • Hindi: गांडू (gāṇḍū) — someone who commits buggery
  • Russian: содомит (sodomit) — someone who commits buggery
  • Spanish: pervertido — someone who commits buggery
  • Spanish: sodomita — someone who commits buggery
  • Spanish: bugarrón — someone who commits buggery
  • Spanish: bujarrón — someone who commits buggery
  • Urdu: گانڈو (gāṅḍū) — someone who commits buggery
  • Afrikaans: bokker — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Afrikaans: bogger — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Bulgarian: нехранимайка (nehranimajka) — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Bulgarian: нехранимайко (nehranimajko) — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Bulgarian: мухльо (muhljo) — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Czech: debil — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Finnish: tollo — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Finnish: kusipää — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Finnish: lurjus — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Finnish: ryökäle — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Finnish: retku — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Finnish: vintiö — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Finnish: retale — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Finnish: renttu — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • French: tête de nœud — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • French: abruti — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • French: glandu — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • German: Lump — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • German: Mistkerl — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • German: Arschloch — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Greek: βλάκας (vlákas) — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Māori: pokokōhua — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Māori: pōkōtiwha — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Slovak: blbec — foolish or worthless person, rascal
  • Hungarian: szívás — slang: a situation that causes dismay
  • Finnish: kamu — slang: someone viewed with affection
  • Finnish: hemmo — slang: someone viewed with affection
  • French: rascal — slang: someone viewed with affection
  • French: vieille branche — slang: someone viewed with affection
  • German: Kumpel — slang: someone viewed with affection
  • German: Kerl — slang: someone viewed with affection
  • Polish: skurwysyn — slang: someone viewed with affection
  • Czech: hovno — dated slang: a damn
  • Dutch: sodemieter — dated slang: a damn
  • Finnish: hittoakaan — dated slang: a damn
  • Portuguese: um puto — dated slang: a damn
  • Esperanto: maniulo — slang: someone very fond of something
  • Finnish: diggari — slang: someone very fond of something
  • French: fondu — slang: someone very fond of something
  • German: Fan — slang: someone very fond of something
  • Esperanto: bugri — to have anal intercourse with
  • Finnish: harrastaa anaaliseksiä — to have anal intercourse with
  • Finnish: panna perseeseen — to have anal intercourse with
  • French: empaffer — to have anal intercourse with
  • French: enculer — to have anal intercourse with
  • French: sodomiser — to have anal intercourse with
  • Greek: ξεκωλώνω (xekolóno) — to have anal intercourse with
  • Greek: ξεκωλιάζω (xekoliázo) — to have anal intercourse with
  • Ancient Greek: λακωνίζω (lakōnízō) — to have anal intercourse with
  • Italian: inculare — to have anal intercourse with
  • Italian: sodomizzare — to have anal intercourse with
  • Italian: buggerare — to have anal intercourse with
  • Latin: pēdīcō — to have anal intercourse with
  • Polish: cwelić — to have anal intercourse with
  • Polish: przecwelić — to have anal intercourse with
  • Portuguese: enrabar — to have anal intercourse with
  • Portuguese: ir ao cu — to have anal intercourse with
  • Portuguese: tomar no cu — to have anal intercourse with
  • Portuguese: levar no cu — to have anal intercourse with
  • Spanish: encular — to have anal intercourse with
  • Spanish: sodomizar — to have anal intercourse with
  • Spanish: dar por el culo — to have anal intercourse with
  • Czech: zkurvit — to ruin
  • Dutch: verneuken — to ruin
  • Finnish: pilata — to ruin
  • Finnish: rikkoa — to ruin
  • Finnish: panna paskaksi — to ruin
  • French: ravager — to ruin
  • French: ruiner — to ruin
  • German: versauen — to ruin
  • German: verpfuschen — to ruin
  • German: ruinieren — to ruin
  • German: vermurksen — to ruin
  • Greek: καταστρέφω (katastréfo) — to ruin
  • Polish: pierdolić — to ruin
  • Polish: spierdolić — to ruin
  • Polish: rozpierdalać — to ruin
  • Polish: rozpierdolić — to ruin
  • Russian: лома́ть (lomátʹ) — to ruin
  • Russian: по́ртить (pórtitʹ) — to ruin