Billabong
//ˈbɪləˌbɔŋ// name, noun
name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An anabranch, backwater or oxbow lake that is temporarily cut off from the main river, especially one that is only filled with water during the rainy season and can sometimes dry up completely. Australia
"Oh there once was a swagman camped in the billabong, Under the shade of a coolibah tree, And he sang as he looked at the old billy boiling, 'Who'll come a'waltzing Matilda, with me.'"
- 2 a branch of a river made by water flowing from the main stream only when the water level is high wordnet
- 3 a stagnant pool of water in the bed of a stream that flows intermittently wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A locality in the Shire of Wellington, south eastern Victoria, Australia.
Example
More examples"Oh there once was a swagman camped in the billabong, Under the shade of a coolibah tree, And he sang as he looked at the old billy boiling, 'Who'll come a'waltzing Matilda, with me.'"
Etymology
From Wiradjuri bilabang, likely a compound from Wiradjuri bila (“river”) and Wiradjuri bong or Wiradjuri bung (“dead”).
Related phrases
More for "billabong"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.