kluge
/kluːd͡ʒ/
kluge noun: something that should not work, but does. Also the alternative spelling of kludge.
Noun
kluge (plural kluges)
- Something that should not work, but does.
- Synonyms:
- workaround
- A device assembled from components intended for disparate purposes.
Proper noun capitalized: Kluge
Kluge (plural Kluges)
- A surname.
Also used as
kluge is also the alternative spelling of kludge.
Synonyms of kluge
Forms of kluge
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | kluges |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | kluges |
| present participle | kluging |
| past participle | kluged |
| past | kluged |
| Proper noun | |
| plural | Kluges |
Origin of kluge
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.
From the German surname meaning "clever one, "from klug (“clever”) + -e.
Words formed from kluge
Words that rhyme with kluge
Questions about kluge
- What does kluge mean?
- Kluge means something that should not work, but does.
- What part of speech is kluge?
- Kluge can be a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce kluge?
- Kluge is pronounced /kluːd͡ʒ/.
- What is the plural of kluge?
- The plural of kluge is kluges.
Words near kluge in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: kluge (page history and authors); Kluge (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-kluge.wav.
Cite this entry: “kluge.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/kluge. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.