boogeyman
34
8.1
- noun
- /ˈbuːɡiˌmæn/
- Baby Talk
:
coco
- To calm her frightened child, the mother said there was no such thing as the boogeyman.
- stories about the boogeyman
- the boogeyman will get you
- the boogeyman is coming
The idea that inflation was the boogeyman went away.
- The idea that inflation was the boogeyman went away.
- This is not some boogeyman from like the dark dregs of society.
- It is now what it always has been, a fucking boogeyman under the bed.
- But our God is crazier and He is better, and he is bigger than the Boogeyman.
- I can't bite because the boogeyman's so big and I'm so weak.
- I think he's misrepresented it and he's put on loads of bogeyman aspects.
- So I do do legit business, but as soon as they act dodgy then the boogeyman comes up, my ADHD kicks.
- Something is always going to hold you back, and you can't get paralyzed by the bottleneck boogeyman as you've seen here.
- Megan, if something went wrong it always had to be the fault of King Charles or Prince William or Kate who have become the bogeyman for the sub success.
Examples
-
"Last night she chased the boogeyman out of the bathroom, feeling more ridiculous than parental.
Fiction book (1992) -
They called it... "The Boogeyman."
-
Run, run, the boogeyman is coming.
-
The only really effective way is to turn on the light and see if the boogeyman is really there.
Blog text (29) -
'Cause every time somebody is afraid, the boogeyman wins.
-
We had been rid of the boogeyman.
-
The name of the boogeyman changes from time to time, but he's always out there.
Blog text (2) -
Here's the boogeyman right here.
Academic text (2012) -
Children are often warned about the boogeyman to encourage them to behave well.
-
At night, scared kids sometimes believe that the boogeyman is hiding in their closets.
Synonyms
∞
2.2
A large frightening imaginary creature often made of human and animal parts
25
7.4
A made-up creature adults tell children about to scare them when they misbehave
15
9.9
An imaginary creature parents mention to frighten children
6
9.6
A thing that causes fear or worry, often without real danger
3
9.9
Something people fear or worry about even when it is not real
1
9.5
A small, playful monster or ghost used with children
1
8.4
A small imaginary creature in stories that can be friendly or scary
1
9.9
An imaginary monster used to frighten children
A pretend monster children imagine hiding in places like closets
An imagined scary creature told about to frighten children
How Scary
- Literature
509
5.3
- Baby Talk
34
8.1
- Offensive
395
2.5
929
3.0
- Literature
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Boogeyman comes from an old word bogey meaning 'an evil spirit' or 'ghost' that adults used in stories to frighten children. Like the word bugbear, it names a make-believe creature used as a warning, so boogeyman today means an imaginary monster people say will scare misbehaving children.