boondoggle

IPA/ˈbuːndɒɡl/
KK[bˌundˈɑɡəl]IPA/ˈbuːndɑːɡl/

boondoggle — noun

  • boondogglesingular
  • boondogglesplural

1. a large project that squanders public money and achieves little of real use

1.nounC1
Definition

a large project that squanders public money and achieves little of real use

Example

Minh proposed building a new city hall, but voters called it a costly boondoggle.

pattern: called [something] a boondoggle

The high-speed rail project turned into a boondoggle with years of delays and rising costs.

collocation: turned into a boondoggle

Common collocations
  • costly boondoggle
  • government boondoggle
  • taxpayer-funded boondoggle
  • massive boondoggle
  • call something a boondoggle
Synonyms
  • waste

    broader term; boondoggle implies a specific project that wastes money on a large scale

  • white elephant

    emphasizes a project that is expensive to maintain and has no practical use

  • scam

    implies fraud or dishonest intent, which boondoggle does not necessarily suggest

Antonyms
  • bargain

    something bought cheaply and worth more than its cost

  • success

    a project that achieves its goals efficiently

Grammar Patterns

a boondoggle

boondoggles

Usage Note

Commonly modified by words such as 'costly', 'government', or 'taxpayer-funded'. Almost always used to criticize a project, especially one backed by public money.

Common Mistakes

The broken office chair was a boondoggle.
The cancelled highway project was a boondoggle.
boondoggle describes a large-scale project, not a small everyday item.

Word family

  • boondoggling
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While 'waste' is a broad term for any inefficient use of resources, 'boondoggle' specifically describes a large project that squanders public money. A 'white elephant' is similar but emphasizes a costly project that is impossible to maintain or sell — for example, an empty convention center that costs millions to keep running. 'Scam' differs sharply because it involves deception or fraud for personal gain; a boondoggle may be the result of poor planning rather than dishonesty. In short: a boondoggle wastes money on a grand scale, usually with good intentions gone wrong, whereas a white elephant is a burden to keep alive, and a scam is a deliberate con.

waste ↗white elephant ↗scam ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • call something a boondoggle
  • turn into a boondoggle
  • fund a boondoggle

Etymology

American English

The origin of 'boondoggle' is uncertain, but the word first appeared in 1920s America, where it meant a braided cord worn by Boy Scouts as a neckerchief slide. The modern meaning — a wasteful public project — exploded after a 1935 New York Times article used the word to attack a New Deal work program. Though the original meaning is mostly forgotten today, the critical sense still carries a hint of the original: busywork that looks impressive but achieves little.

First known use

1928

1928, in the meaning defined at sense 1