bogeyman

American

[boog-ee-man, boh-gee-, boo-] / ˈbʊg iˌmæn, ˈboʊ gi-, ˈbu- /

South Midland and Southern U.S., boogeyman or bogyman

noun

plural

bogeymen

an imaginary evil character of supernatural powers, especially a mythical hobgoblin supposed to carry off naughty children.

bogeyman British

/ ˈbəʊɡɪˌmæn /

noun

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

Etymology

Origin of bogeyman

First recorded in 1885–90; bogey ¹ (variant of bogy ¹, in the sense “a hobgoblin, evil spirit”) + man

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.

Both cast debt as a bogeyman turning capitalism into an extraction device that, left unchecked or unwisely channeled, can take everything from any of us.

From Salon • May 4, 2026

This particular European bogeyman dates back to 2014, when the U.S. and the European Union were negotiating a trans-Atlantic trade agreement.

From Slate • Feb. 13, 2026

Consider buddleboy, bogeyman, bumboat man, flirter, higgler, pugger, muffleman, quarrel picker, spittle-maker, whiff-maker and willy man.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

The Dodgers served as a convenient bogeyman for owners of many other major league teams last winter.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2025

He was the bogeyman our mothers invoked to urge us to finish our dinner.

From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023