bogeyman
or bo·gy·man
an imaginary evil character of supernatural powers, especially a mythical hobgoblin supposed to carry off naughty children.
Origin of bogeyman
1- Also boog·ey·man or boog·ie·man [boog-ee-man, boo-gee-]; /ˈbʊg iˌmæn, ˈbu gi-/; South Midland and Southern U.S., boog·er·man [boog-er-man, boo-ger-] /ˈbʊg ərˌmæn, ˈbu gər-/ .
Words Nearby bogeyman
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use bogeyman in a sentence
For the left, the situation represented the right’s opposition to progress and fixation on cultural bogeymen.
Its rise has been powered by a strategy of mobilizing Hindu voters using the country’s minorities as the bogeyman.
The Islamic World's Outrage Against India Won't Protect the Country's Muslims | Debasish Roy Chowdhury | June 9, 2022 | TimeKashmir thus fits neatly into the BJP’s use of Muslims as the bogeyman to unite the vastly disparate Hindu voter base against the dangerous “other.”
The Kashmir Files: How a New Bollywood Film Marks India’s Further Descent Into Bigotry | Debasish Roy Chowdhury | March 30, 2022 | TimeThe movement has served, at times, as a bogeyman for police and the far right in general, with Snohomish’s own police chief resigning last year, days before the Back The Blue rally, after he fueled rumors of an ominous antifa mob approaching town.
Cops Confuse ‘ANTHRAX’ With ‘ANTIFA’ in Hunt for Violent Protester | Kelly Weill | June 16, 2021 | The Daily BeastA neo-Nazi alliance called Right Sector, which was active in pro-Maidan violence, is another bogeyman.
What went before, an interim framework agreement that caused a great deal of controversy, is no longer the bogeyman.
P5+1 Talks Drill Down On The Future Of Iran’s Nukes | Michael Adler | February 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTInsurance is a large and varied industry, and frequently plays the heavy and bogeyman, especially the health insurers.
“China has replaced Japan as the bogeyman of East Asia in terms of international investment,” said Milhaupt.
Softbank’s Acquisition of Sprint Latest Big Japanese Buy | Matthew Zeitlin | October 16, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTHamas remains the bogeyman, much as the PLO was, before Madrid and Oslo, but with some crucial differences.
Why the Left Should Not Call for Talks with Hamas | Don Futterman | August 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for bogeyman
/ (ˈbəʊɡɪˌmæn) /
a person, real or imaginary, used as a threat, esp to children
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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