boogeyman

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

noun, plural boog·ey·men.

Origin of boogeyman

First recorded in 1840–50; variant of bogyman

Words nearby boogeyman

Definition for boogeyman (2 of 2)

bogeyman

or bo·gy·man, boog·er·man, boog·ey·man, boog·ie·man

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

noun, plural bo·gey·men.

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

Origin of bogeyman

1885–90; bogey1 (variant of bogy1, in the sense “a hobgoblin, evil spirit”) + man1

Example sentences from the Web for boogeyman

British Dictionary definitions for boogeyman

bogeyman
/ (ˈbəʊɡɪˌmæn) /

noun plural -men

a person, real or imaginary, used as a threat, esp to children