bogeyman

noun

variants also bogyman
Definition of bogeymannext
as in specter

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bogeyman 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 At a time when billionaires are bogeymen, Steyer has struggled to gain momentum. — The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 28 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bogeyman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bogeyman
  1. specter
  2. demon
  3. incubus
  4. ghoul
  5. phantom
  6. banshee
  7. terror
  8. imp
Noun
  • The tale of a girl on the verge of adulthood facing the threat of immigration agents and haunted by specters from Mexican folklore is told through live actors, sophisticated puppetry and an original score of Indigenous percussion.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Organizations shouldn’t treat the specter of breach monetization as separate from the threat model.
    — Steve Durbin, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of specter
Noun
  • Flashes of the underworld, Family Guy-style, ensue, with flames, skeletons, demons, a mariachi band and various forms of torture setting the mood.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2026
  • There are references to demons, being burned alive, and the duende king explicitly commands his minions to kill Jo and Raissa.
    — Parents, Parents, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of demon
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
  • Your fame sits beside you like an incubus, and people are embarrassed and want to leave the room.
    — Candace Bushnell, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2025
Definition of incubus
Noun
  • Six Flags Great America has transformed once more for its 35th Fright Fest, bringing demons, ghosts, ghouls and other things that go bump in the night to the park.
    — Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • At once not quite real and all too real, Cohn has the uncanny presence of a ghoul or a fiend.
    — Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of ghoul
Noun
  • Fadal brought up her own phantom smells during a recent podcast conversation with Andrea Donsky, a nutritionist who’s written about and conducted research on this symptom.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Both phantoms were packed with thousands of dosimeters, tracking radiation dose over specific phases of the flight rather than just a cumulative total.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of phantom
Noun
  • Three species of bats inhabit the site, and supernatural events—including the appearance of the gamekeeper’s ghost and the wail of a banshee—have been reported.
    — Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 22 May 2026
  • Weaving, even more than before, makes Grace an ingénue gone banshee.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Definition of banshee
Noun
  • Over its 1,200 pages, the novel becomes a haunting of a haunting, a terror echoed and heightened over time.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The titular musical is a recounting of the 9/11 terror attacks, with original music and cardboard Twin Towers ablaze.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of terror
Noun
  • Mykal-Michelle Harris from Raven’s Home guest stars as Ruby, a mischievous moon imp who tricks Vee.
    — Allison McClain Merrill, Parents, 22 Sep. 2026
  • At her very best, Emily behaves like a petulant pre-adolescent spoiled imp.
    — Liza Lentini, SPIN, 14 Apr. 2026
Definition of imp

Browse Nearby Words

bogey
bogeyman
bogeymen
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bogeyman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bogeyman. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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