boondoggle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Was it an exciting new form of entertainment, or a boondoggle?
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026
He vehemently denied that the United States was entering into another long-term boondoggle in the Middle East.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2026
Organizers sought not only to remind the world that the Olympics were about joie de vivre, but also that the project didn’t need to be a $50 billion boondoggle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026
Opponents, including agencies in the delta and environmental advocates, say the project is an expensive boondoggle that would harm the environment and communities, and that the state should pursue other alternatives.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2025
The United States has not embarked upon its formidable program of space exploration in order to make or perpetuate a gigantic astronautic boondoggle.
From The Practical Values of Space Exploration Report of the Committee on Science and Astronautics, U.S. House of Representatives, Eighty-Sixth Congress, Second Session by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science and Astronautics.
And no rules at the Guardian, apparently, regarding outrageous boondoggles and ocean-going junkets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
Discovery CEO David Zaslav, in contrast with the preceding AT&T regime, has rejected big streaming movies as boondoggles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2022
These "boondoggles," as the report calls them, would harm local communities and exacerbate climate change, all while failing to solve the traffic and safety problems they claim to address.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2022
The Defense Department’s latest policy shift drew praise from Tom Slear, a 1973 graduate of West Point who has criticized the deals offered pro athletes as boondoggles, wasting educations paid for with public money.
From Washington Post ● May 5, 2017
The Underdowns don’t like to come out here in the boondoggles, so believe you me this was an occasion.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
“What’s the word — boondoggled? Hornswaggled?” the former mailman and Vietnam War veteran said with an easy chuckle while seated at a table off the deserted bar at the Hollywood Roosevelt on a recent afternoon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2016
How do you think this cautionary tale plays that such boondoggling won’t happen again?
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2019
I think that you can’t ever protect yourself from boondoggling.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2019
The new President closed the banks and launched the 100-day "Roosevelt Revolution" with its rubber dollar, blue eagle, boondoggling and plowed-under pigs, not to mention the phrase: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."
From Time Magazine Archive
The storm broke in Hobbies, a magazine devoted to the delights of private boondoggling.
From Time Magazine Archive
Walter, do you remember when the one thing in the world that made you maddest was boondoggling?
From U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1969 July - December by Library of Congress. Copyright Office
Vocabulary lists containing boondoggle
100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week In Words: October 19–25, 2019
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Ben Zimmer's 30 Great American Words
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
