bogeyman

noun

bo·​gey·​man ˈbu̇-gē-ˌman How to pronounce bogeyman (audio)
ˈbō-,
ˈbü-,
ˈbu̇-gər- How to pronounce bogeyman (audio)
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 Related article How empty office space became the new bogeyman on Wall Street Regional banks were on high alert recently after New York Community Bancorp (NYCB) reported steeper-than-expected future losses on commercial real estate loans. Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 But the bogeyman of mass unemployment is still nowhere in sight. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024 Though difficult to watch, there’s an undercurrent of hope as authorities try to catch a perp who is not unlike the bogeyman, hiding in the dark and waiting for his chance to take his victims. Eric Farwell, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2023 Instead of a bogeyman or a red flag, maybe Rand is just a set of training wheels, or a trellis on which characters can temporarily support their unfurling selves. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2023 There’s a Covenant that wants to be a pleasurably old-fashioned scary story, and there’s a Covenant that wants to complicate our notions of that most ancient bogeyman, the devil, by revealing him as an aspect of ourselves — a manifestation of all the suffering caused by our cruelties and lies. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2023 Onstage, at least, people rarely want their bogeymen to sound like Ron DeSantis. Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023 Even as the cultural climate shifts—with ESG a new bogeyman in GOP politics and affirmative action lawsuits targeting corporate diversity programs—Singh Cassidy believes board diversity has a unique staying power thanks to natural turnover. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2023 Reality television NDAs have long been Hollywood lore, an administrative bogeyman that keeps cast and crew silent about the inner workings of these shows. Ashley Cullins, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bogeyman.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bogeyman was in 1890

Dictionary Entries Near bogeyman

Cite this Entry

“Bogeyman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bogeyman. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bogeyman

noun
bo·​gey·​man ˈbu̇g-ē-ˌman How to pronounce bogeyman (audio) ˈbō-gē- How to pronounce bogeyman (audio)
ˈbü-gē-
1
: an imaginary monster used in threatening children
2
: a terrifying or dreaded person or thing

More from Merriam-Webster on bogeyman

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