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bogeyman

bo·gey·man
B b

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [boo g-ee-man, boh-gee-, boo-]
    • /ˈbʊg iˌmæn, ˈboʊ gi-, ˈbu-/
    • /-mən/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [boo g-ee-man, boh-gee-, boo-]
    • /ˈbʊg iˌmæn, ˈboʊ gi-, ˈbu-/

Definitions of bogeyman word

  • countable noun bogeyman 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. 3
  • countable noun bogeyman A bogeyman is an imaginary evil spirit. Some parents tell their children that the bogeyman will catch them if they behave badly. 3
  • noun bogeyman a person, real or imaginary, used as a threat, esp to children 3
  • abbreviation BOGEYMAN boogeyman 3
  • noun plural bogeyman an imaginary evil character of supernatural powers, especially a mythical hobgoblin supposed to carry off naughty children. 1
  • noun bogeyman source of terror 1

Information block about the term

Origin of bogeyman

First appearance:

before 1885
One of the 21% newest English words
1885-90; bogey1 (variant of bogy1, in the sense “a hobgoblin, evil spirit”) + man1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Bogeyman

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

bogeyman popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 81% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

bogeyman usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for bogeyman

noun bogeyman

  • phantom — an apparition or specter.
  • hobgoblin — something causing superstitious fear; a bogy.
  • monster — a legendary animal combining features of animal and human form or having the forms of various animals in combination, as a centaur, griffin, or sphinx.
  • bugbear — Something or someone that is your bugbear worries or upsets you.
  • visitant — a temporary resident; visitor; guest.

Antonyms for bogeyman

noun bogeyman

  • reality — the state or quality of being real.
  • being — Being is the present participle of be1.

Top questions with bogeyman

  • what is a bogeyman?
  • how to beat the bogeyman?

See also

Matching words

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