boogeyman

noun

boo·​gey·​man ˈbu̇-gē-ˌman 

ˈbü-

variants or less commonly boogerman

ˈbu̇-gər- 

ˈbü-

: bogeyman

Examples of boogeyman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Dodgers were a convenient boogeyman, but the owners’ desire for cost-control is not actually contingent on the results of a small-sample-size tournament. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026

Bono has for years presented prog-rock, or a vague caricature of it, as a musical boogeyman that represents everything U2 were trying to avoid. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026

Sports have become a particularly big boogeyman, with Prime Video and Netflix each hosting exclusive NFL games this season, and with the FCC and broadcasters lobbying for regulators to require sports to be available for free on broadcast stations. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is not unpopular enough — or well known enough — to be the next boogeyman. — James A. Downs, The Washington Examiner, 6 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

by alteration

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for boogeyman

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