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 Argument For Banning Fracking Fracking, like a bogeyman, has been accused of many things. —Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024

Still, the need to tie Hogan to bogeymen like Cruz, Graham and McConnell was underscored Monday, when conversations with nearly a dozen of Alsobrooks' most vocal supporters revealed little negative to say about the former governor, but a greater eye on the levers of power in Washington. —Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2024

At the time, these third-party, athlete-compensating creatures had emerged as arguably the NCAA’s biggest bogeymen in the association’s fight against booster inducements masquerading as promotional deals. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 26 July 2024

All the while, a bogeyman served him well—not a return to communism, Yeltsin’s scarecrow, but the chaos of Yeltsinism. —Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2015

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