What does bosh mean?
Bosh is an informal noun — and exclamation — meaning sheer nonsense: foolish, absurd, or worthless talk. When someone declares that a plan will never work, that a rumour is ridiculous, or that an argument is baseless, they may dismiss it as 'utter bosh' or simply exclaim 'Bosh!' The word is used mainly in British English, though it is widely understood elsewhere in the English-speaking world, and it carries a tone that is contemptuous without being vulgar — closer to a scornful wave of the hand than an insult. Its most distinctive feature is its origin: it entered English in the eighteenth century from Turkish, whose adjective boş means 'empty', making it a fitting label for speech devoid of substance. Bosh belongs to a colourful family of English words for rubbishy language — alongside twaddle, drivel, and hogwash — and remains useful whenever you want to call out nonsense with brisk, slightly theatrical disdain.
nounUtter nonsense; foolish or absurd talk or writing.
- Nonsense; absurd or worthless talk or ideas.
"Don't listen to him — everything he said about the merger is utter bosh."
"The idea that the earth is flat is complete bosh."
""What absolute bosh!" she exclaimed, tossing the tabloid aside."
Rarely pluralised; bosh is normally treated as an uncountable mass noun referring to nonsense in general.
"He filled the report with so many different boshes that no one could follow it."
'Bosh' isn't just British bluster — it was borrowed straight out of Turkish, where the root word literally means 'empty'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bosh
Bosh entered English during the eighteenth century, borrowed from Turkish, where the adjective boş means 'empty' or 'vain'. The metaphor is direct: talk that is empty of sense or substance is 'empty talk'. The word took firm hold in British colloquial usage, where it flourished both as a noun for nonsense and as an interjection of dismissive scorn. It has no significant cognates in other European languages, since it derives from Turkic roots rather than Latin, Greek, or Germanic stock.
How bosh is actually used
Informal and chiefly British in flavour, though understood in American English. Often used as an exclamation of contemptuous dismissal ('Bosh!'), and frequently modified by intensifiers such as 'utter' or 'complete'. It carries a mildly old-fashioned, dismissive tone rather than outright rudeness.
Easily confused with bosh
A bush is a shrub or thicket, while bosh means nonsense — the two words merely look and sound similar.
Borscht is a beetroot soup of Eastern European origin, whereas bosh is an exclamation meaning nonsense.