bogeyman

noun

bo·​gey·​man ˈbu̇-gē-ˌman  ˈbō- 

ˈbü-,

ˈbu̇-gər- 

variants or less commonly bogyman

1

: a monstrous imaginary figure used in threatening children

2

: a terrifying or dreaded person or thing : bugbear

Examples of bogeyman in a Sentence

My aunt used to say to my sister and me, “The bogeyman will get you if you're bad.”

a politician who is the familiar bogeyman of conservatives

Recent Examples on the Web

The incidents turned a once-obscure agency with bipartisan credibility into a conservative bogeyman. —Eric Geller, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024

So 2 In the 2010s, Chicago drill-rap pioneer Chief Keef made headlines as a budding hitmaker whose criminal record presented hip-hop elders with a bogeyman to shoulder classic worries about song lyrics inspiring real-world violence. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2024

That is exactly what happened with Japan, the last great U.S. trade bogeyman. —Geoffrey Garrett, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2018

Fermin more than delivered with two assists against Barca's bogeyman and Flick's former club Bayern Munich in the Champions League, as the Blaugrana came out 4-1 winners. —Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bogeyman

noun

bo·​gey·​man ˈbu̇g-ē-ˌman  ˈbō-gē- 

ˈbü-gē-

1

: an imaginary monster used in threatening children

2

: a terrifying or dreaded person or thing