variants
also bogyman
as in spectre
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Recent Examples of bogeyman
Most indulged of all is Joe himself, the kind of bogeyman that our headlines keep in dispiriting circulation: a white, middle-aged male with troubles at home and convenient access to firearms.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 July 2025
Proctor was the case officer who has since been fired primarily for inappropriate behavior in this case and has served as a sort of bogeyman for the defense, beginning with their opening statement.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 22 May 2025
Jordan McAlister/Flickr Vision/Moment Editorial The myth of a bogeyman hiding under the bed came true for one Kansas family this week after a child's complaint led to a man's arrest.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 28 Mar. 2025
Musk, a top White House adviser, has become a bogeyman for the administration as critics blame him for the efforts to cut federal workers and dismantle agencies.
—Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bogeyman
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 July 2025
Proctor was the case officer who has since been fired primarily for inappropriate behavior in this case and has served as a sort of bogeyman for the defense, beginning with their opening statement.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 22 May 2025
Jordan McAlister/Flickr Vision/Moment Editorial The myth of a bogeyman hiding under the bed came true for one Kansas family this week after a child's complaint led to a man's arrest.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 28 Mar. 2025
Musk, a top White House adviser, has become a bogeyman for the administration as critics blame him for the efforts to cut federal workers and dismantle agencies.
—Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bogeyman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bogeyman
Noun
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The 2024 prize went to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots Japanese organization of atomic bomb survivors, at a time when the world was once again confronting the specter of nuclear weapons, amid Russia’s threats during its war in Ukraine.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
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The specter of elimination, of the danger and finality of any mistake, hung over everything at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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When their biggest demonic enemy (Lee Byung-hun) encourages the formation of an equally popular K-pop boy band aimed at stealing the souls of their fans, the trio has to fight harder than ever to hold the demons at bay while keeping their friendship intact.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
15 Oct. 2025
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His sudden loss is a terrible surprise, but his life was a monument to a drive stronger than the demons that beset genius.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Devil’s Museum, a satellite of the main collection, has amassed more than 3,000 depictions of demons, evil spirits and incubus from around the world.—
Joe Yogerst,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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Your fame sits beside you like an incubus, and people are embarrassed and want to leave the room.—
Candace Bushnell,
Vogue,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Haunted Trail takes visitors outdoors through a path with dense fog and several haunting installations with zombies, a ghoul bus, a graveyard filled with ghosts, chainsaw maniacs and more.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Oct. 2025
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Jack-o-lanterns, ghouls and goblins are around every corner, but the scariest creatures of all might be thousands of feet below the ocean’s surface.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Understanding neutrinos’ properties could help explain how how the universe formed, how stars evolve and whether neutrinos, which pass through the Earth and even our bodies like phantoms, are their own antiparticles.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Oct. 2025
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Staff also report hearing phantom singing in the visitors' area and a mysterious spirit rearranging the coins in the gift shop register.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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His bronc riders look more like pietàs in mud; his barrel racers scream like banshees on horseback.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Temperance let loose a banshee wail.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The mushroom’s healing properties also lead to hallucinations, often involving mysterious white imps, who should be adorable and instead come across as menacing little ghouls.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
18 June 2025
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And Dot — well, Dot keeps an imp in an old wine bottle.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Or that the hamster her daughter kept begging, begging, begging Linda to get turns out to be a raging, biting terror?—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
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Advertisement An investigation led by the Guardian found in September that out of the 6,000 Palestinians from Gaza held by Israel since the Hamas terror attack two years ago, only one quarter were held on suspicion of militant links.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bogeyman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bogeyman. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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