bad man
Americannoun
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(sometimes initial capital letters) the devil.
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the bogeyman.
Etymology
Origin of bad man
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mousley KC said that Nowak asked Digwa if he was a "bad man", likely to have been prompted by him noticing the dagger.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Ultimately, “In the Days of My Youth” confronts readers with a perplexing question: Can someone be a good father but a bad man?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
The fantasy that every bad man would get his due, with the violent ones in jail and the manipulative ones made personae non grata, has not played out.
From Slate ● May 29, 2024
When I look at him, I don’t see a bad man.
From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2023
I did not learn to use my black side until after the bad man left me.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
