bogeyman
noun
bo·gey·man
ˈbu̇-gē-ˌman 
ˈbō-
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
See all Example Sentences for bogeyman 
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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
See all Example Sentences for bogeyman
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Dictionary Entries Near bogeyman
Cite this Entry
“Bogeyman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bogeyman. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bogeyman
noun
bo·gey·man
ˈbu̇g-ē-ˌman
ˈbō-gē-
ˈbō-gē-
ˈbü-gē-
1
: an imaginary monster used in threatening children
2
: a terrifying or dreaded person or thing
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