boogeyman

American

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

noun

bogeyman.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

boogeymen

plural

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:

boogeyman boogeymen

Artificial intelligence could be the boogeyman that gnaws at market share.

From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026

And it would give the Bills another chance to really get over their boogeyman.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025

Craig said the characters’ frequent misinterpretations took on the role of the “monster,” since this is a horror movie without a true boogeyman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025

"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

I am the boogeyman parents use to get their children to behave.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

One of the biggest boogeymen around these days is ultraprocessed food.

From Slate ● Jul. 12, 2026

I mean that AI now sits squarely atop the pile of modern parents’ anxieties, having rapidly eclipsed boogeymen like screen time and social media.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

The modern world is beset by boogeymen: pandemics, gun violence, floods, fires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2025

We can, indeed, convince ourselves that boogeymen are real.

From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2024

They’re also conjuring boogeymen, even though the real culprits are tech giants.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 2, 2022

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