Word forms: plural bogeymenlanguage note: The spellings bogey man, and in American English boogeyman are also used.
1. countable noun
A bogeyman is someone whose ideas or actions are disapproved of by some people, and who is described by them as evil or unpleasant in order to make other people afraid.
[mainly British, disapproval]
The media depict him as a left-wing bogeyman.
2. countable noun
A bogeyman is an imaginary evil spirit. Some parents tell their children that the bogeyman will catch them if they behave badly.
bogeyman in British English
(ˈbəʊɡɪˌmæn)
nounWord forms: plural-men
a person, real or imaginary, used as a threat, esp to children
bogeyman in American English
(ˈbʊgiˌmæn; also ˈboʊgiˌmæn)
nounWord forms: pluralˈbogeyˌmen (ˈbʊgiˌmɛn)
boogeyman
Examples of 'bogeyman' in a sentence
bogeyman
Salt may be the culinary bogeyman but just look at the magic it does.