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

Damac, sitting 15th in the SPL and requiring a point against Al Nassr to guarantee survival, were the team hoping to be the latest bogeyman in Ronaldo’s quest to be a champion in his fifth country, his eighth league triumph in 24 years. —Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 21 May 2026

To me, the FBI was just a dark, abstract presence—a childhood bogeyman—pursuing us all the time like a shadow out of a nightmare. —Literary Hub, 19 May 2026

Some use the idea as a bogeyman to scare up regulation, while others brandish it in marketing. —Matthew Hutson, IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026

So far, bacteria have been the bogeymen that most planetary protection protocols have been designed to defeat. —Leonard David, Scientific American, 6 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bogeyman

• businessman
• canavan
• caravan
• constantan
• dragoman
• fisherman
• handyman
• harmattan
• journeyman
• marianne
• middleman
• minivan

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