- a variation of bogeyman.
boogeyman
Americannoun
-
boogeymen
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of boogeyman
First recorded in 1840–50
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.
See Examples For:
Using an AI boogeyman to shake people up is consistent with that effort.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
Artificial intelligence could be the boogeyman that gnaws at market share.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
"I wasn't satisfied with just imagining this evil boogeyman who had done a horrible thing to me," she explained.
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2025
With Moses as boogeyman, we are spared the more challenging question: Why did his worst decisions seem like such great ideas to so many people in the first place?
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2024
I am the boogeyman parents use to get their children to behave.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
While the heroes in “A God-Shaped Nation” are refreshing in their diversity, the boogeymen are all too familiar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The modern world is beset by boogeymen: pandemics, gun violence, floods, fires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2025
Where bambinos, billy goats and boogeymen curse entire teams.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024
What we do not enjoy, however, is the pesky presence of well-known boogeymen like raw egg and flour, which are obviously not two items that should be eaten with such vigor.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2023
He needs as many boogeymen and vanquished foes as he can conjure.
From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2020
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.
