Meaning & use
a boondock
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Meaning
nounusually pluralinformalAmerican
A rough, far-away area with few people or services; usually used in the plural.
Grammar: Almost always 'the boondocks' in everyday speech; the singular 'boondock' sounds odd or old-fashioned.
Patterns
- in the boondocks
- out in the boondocks
- live in the boondocks
Their farm is way out in the boondocks, an hour from the nearest store.
He grew up in the boondocks and moved to the city as soon as he could.
We got lost in the boondocks without any phone signal.
Word forms
| plural | boondocks |
|---|
Common combinations
- out in the boondocks
- The cabin is out in the boondocks, with no neighbors for miles.
- live in the boondocks
- They live in the boondocks and grow most of their own food.
- way out in the boondocks
- The school is way out in the boondocks, so the bus ride is long.
- the middle of the boondocks
- We broke down in the middle of the boondocks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- backwoods
- Similar but often suggests thick forest and a lack of modern ways; 'boondocks' is more general.
- sticks
- Informal and means the same, as in 'out in the sticks'; it is not used in the singular.
- wilderness
- More neutral and formal; it stresses wild nature rather than being far from services.
Opposites
Word family
- boondocking noun
- Camping far from towns, often in a vehicle with no hookups.
Commonly confused: a boondock or boondoggle?
a boondock vs boondoggle
A 'boondoggle' is a wasteful project that costs money and achieves little; it sounds similar but has nothing to do with remote places.
Practice
After twenty years in the city, they retired to a tiny village ___ the boondocks.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'in the boondocks' (or 'out in the boondocks'). 'On' and 'at' do not fit this idiom, and 'by' would suggest the village is next to the area, not inside it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a boondock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.