bugaboo

noun

ˈbə-gə-ˌbü How to pronounce bugaboo (audio)
Definition of bugaboonext
as in dread
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason doing one's tax returns is a real bugaboo for a lot of people

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 bugaboo En route to finally winning a Super Bowl, the Colts were finally getting the upper hand on their longtime bugaboo, the Brady-Bill Belichick Patriots. — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 4 May 2026 Five batters into Sunday’s game and the home run bugaboo that plagued Imanaga last season delivered a sense of déjà vu to the 33,559 fans in attendance at Wrigley Field. — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026 But defense remains a big bugaboo, especially around the rim. — Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026 Quite simply, Texas got bit by the same bugaboo that has haunted it this entire season. — Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 8 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bugaboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugaboo
  1. dread
  2. terror
  3. bugbear
  4. plague
  5. bogey
Noun
  • On Widow’s Bay, a show currently decorated with 19 Emmy nominations, the line between cozy New England charm and creeping dread is often found in the details.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Bauman and Ferguson worked closely to find ways of remaining faithful to the actual house’s architecture while using it as a storytelling tool to evoke a sense of dread and claustrophobia.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of dread
Noun
  • Unfettered occupation and ethnic cleansing will provoke resistance and terror attacks.
    — Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 18 Aug. 2026
  • If the 25-year war on terror really is over, its repercussions are not.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of terror
Noun
  • Cuba’s communist regime has historically been a bugbear for the US, particularly for Republicans.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 19 July 2026
  • The heat and humidity during our test week brought me to my other bugbear with the C-HR.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2026
Definition of bugbear
Noun
  • Many of us hear talk of plague and think that humanity, as ever, will manage to muddle through.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The two soon stumble back into the cult that created the plague doctor — a cult in which people are killed and resurrected, taken apart and rebuilt.
    — S.M. Hallow, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of plague
Noun
  • Whaley holed a nervy 5-foot bogey putt on the 18th hole to defeat Georgia senior Carter Loflin.
    — Mercury News staff, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Playing partner Yubol birdied the first two holes on the back nine to get to 17 under, then had six pars and a bogey — on the par-4 15th — on the final seven.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of bogey

Browse Nearby Words

bug
bugaboo
bugaboos
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Cite this Entry

“Bugaboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugaboo. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on bugaboo

Nglish: Translation of bugaboo for Spanish Speakers

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