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

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

No matter how much so many us love and believe in edgy comedy, a line exists between cutting satire and normalizing violence, and stay wary of anyone who tries to use the bogeyman of repression to erase it. —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026

And the foreign bogeyman was no longer the driver. —Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 23 Mar. 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