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
  • By century’s end, however, the specter of famine had largely receded (aside from tragedies of war and misgovernment, no small caveat).
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • While the weather painted a chaotic picture, stories from Malibu residents were of neighbors coming together as a community in a way only the specter of disaster could prompt.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of specter
Noun
  • No ghosts, ghouls, or demons here, just the evil things that greed makes people do, at least until the little guy starts fighting back.
    — Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Written and directed by Jeremy Slater, the film follows Jefferson Haddock (Bacon), who is called into an isolated witness protection property to deal with a terrifying demon, unleashing a force that threatens to end him and everything around him.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 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
  • This year a ghoul towers over the entrance, welcoming visitors — or perhaps warning them to stay away.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • At its strongest, Crossing the Red Line paints an important portrait of the ghouls who prosecuted the genocide in Gaza, offering an historically crucial record of their conduct and their failures.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 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
  • Phobos and Deimos take their names from the Greek mythological personifications of fear and terror, sons of the war god Ares, whose Roman counterpart is Mars.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Founded in 2015 by Thomas Brag, Matt Dajer, Ammar Kandil and Derin Emre, the group gained traction through their videos about travel, adventure and, in the wake of terror attacks in Beirut and Paris, inclusivity.
    — Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of terror
Noun
  • People have since replaced the imp with fictional people like Sam and Dean Winchester and Wednesday Addams, public figures like Gypsy-Rose Blanchard and even mascots like Ronald McDonald.
    — Angela Yang, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026
  • 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
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 25 Oct. 2026.

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