Kluge

//kluːd͡ʒ// name, noun, verb

name, noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Something that should not work, but does.
  2. 2
    A device assembled from components intended for disparate purposes.
Verb
  1. 1
    Alternative spelling of kludge. alt-of, alternative
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms
bodgebodgebotchkludgelash-upmake-do

Example

More examples

"Kluge warned that millions of unvaccinated Europeans remain highly vulnerable to the delta variant, which data suggests is far more transmissible than other strains."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From US military slang, possibly from German klug (“clever”), or perhaps from Dutch Low Saxon klütje (“(little) dumpling, clod”), Jutland Danish klyt (“piece of bad workmanship, klud(g)e”); compare standard Danish kludder (“mess, disorder”). (Compare English klutz.) According to the OED, an "invented word" influenced by bodge and fudge. Compare kludge.

Etymology 2

From the German surname meaning "clever one, "from klug (“clever”) + -e.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.