Meaning & use
bo ho
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparableinformalapproving
Having a relaxed, artistic style, often with loose clothes, vintage items and ethnic decorations.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a boho dress; the room looks boho.
Patterns
- a boho look
- boho style
- look boho
She wore a long boho skirt and lots of silver rings.
Their apartment is very boho, full of plants and old posters.
The wedding had a boho theme, with flowers in everyone's hair.
nouncountableinformal
A person who lives in a free, artistic way, often rejecting ordinary social rules.
Grammar: Countable: one boho, two bohos. Often used in the plural.
Patterns
- a boho
- the bohos
He was a boho in the 1960s, living in a tiny flat and painting all day.
The café is popular with students and bohos.
Word forms
| plural | bohos |
|---|
Common combinations
- boho style
- Her boho style mixes lace with denim.
- boho chic
- The shop sells boho chic clothes at low prices.
- a boho look
- He created a boho look with a scarf and a hat.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bohemian
- The full, more formal word; 'boho' is a short, informal version used mostly about fashion.
- hippie
- More strongly suggests the 1960s youth movement and a political or spiritual lifestyle, not just a style of dress.
- artsy
- Focuses on being artistic rather than on the relaxed, vintage style of clothes and homes.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bo ho or hobo?
bo ho vs hobo
A hobo is a homeless person who travels and works, which is a very different, often negative idea. 'Boho' is about artistic style.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'boho' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Boho' is an adjective (or a noun) describing an artistic, relaxed style, so it fits before 'clothes'. The other options use it as a verb or a machine, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bo ho”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.