booger

IPA/ˈbʊɡə(r)/
IPA/ˈbʊɡər/

booger — noun

  • boogersingular
  • boogersplural

1. A small hardened lump of mucus that forms inside the nose, usually removed by pi

1.名詞B2
釋義

A small hardened lump of mucus that forms inside the nose, usually removed by picking or blowing.

例句

Talia wiped a booger on a tissue and tossed it into the bin.

collocation: wipe a booger

The toddler picked a booger from his nose while sitting in the shopping cart.

collocation: pick a booger from (nose)

同義詞
  • bogey

    British English equivalent; same register and meaning

  • snot

    Refers to wet, liquid nasal mucus, not the dried solid form

文法句型

booger + (in/from nose)

用法筆記

Refers specifically to solid, dried mucus. For wet nasal mucus, use 'snot' instead. The word is informal and mainly used in American English; British speakers more commonly say 'bogey.'

常見錯誤

❌I have a runny booger.
✅I have a runny nose.
💡'booger' refers to solid, dried pieces; wet nasal discharge is 'snot' or simply a 'runny nose.'
❌He coughed up a booger.
✅He coughed up phlegm.
💡'booger' comes from the nose; thick mucus from the throat or lungs is 'phlegm.'

2. An imaginary frightening creature that adults describe to children to scare them

2.名詞C1
釋義

An imaginary frightening creature that adults describe to children to scare them into behaving — a regional variant of bogeyman.

例句

Brian told his daughter that the booger would come if she refused to brush her teeth.

pattern: the booger + will come + if-clause

"The booger hides under your bed at night," Arjun teased his younger cousin.

collocation: the booger hides

同義詞
  • bogeyman

    The full, more widely recognised form of the same word

  • boogeyman

    Alternative spelling; same meaning and register

  • bugbear

    Old-fashioned British term for a source of fear or anxiety, less specifically a child-frightening monster

文法句型

the booger + (will get/come for) + someone

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 (DRIED NASAL MUCUS): this sense is a dialectal shortening of 'bogeyman' and is mainly heard in parts of the American South and Midwest. It is always countable and often appears with 'the.'

常見錯誤

❌There is a booger in my nose.' (when meaning the monster)
✅Use sense 1 for nasal mucus and sense 2 for the imaginary creature
💡context must make the intended meaning clear.