Boer

American  

[bawr, bohr, boor, boor] / bɔr, boʊr, bʊər, bur /

noun

1. a South African of Dutch extraction.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Boers.

Boer British  

/ ˈbəʊə, bʊə, bɔː /

noun

1. 1. a descendant of any of the Dutch or Huguenot colonists who settled in South Africa, mainly in Cape Colony, the Orange Free State, and the Transvaal

   2. ( as modifier )

      a Boer farm

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Etymology

Origin of Boer

First recorded in 1825–35; Afrikaans, from Dutch: “peasant, farmer”; boor

Example Sentences

Lengthy appendices compare its versions of episodes such as the Battle of Omdurman and the Boer War with earlier accounts Churchill gave to newspapers and magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Strand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

De Boer also embraces a tavern’s essential function as a community hub.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

But they were kept in the match by goalkeeper Jan de Boer, who pulled off a string of fine stops and saved a second-half penalty.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2025

But the team has not come close to matching the success it had during the two-year tenure of its first coach, Tata Martino, or in the first year of his successor, Frank de Boer.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 3, 2024

In Commando, by Deneys Reitz, I read of the unconventional guerrilla tactics of the Boer generals during the Anglo-Boer War.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela