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bogeyman

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


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.

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Both cast debt as a bogeyman turning capitalism into an extraction device that, left unchecked or unwisely channeled, can take everything from any of us.

From Salon May 4, 2026

The third holds that we’ve come a long way in ridding ourselves of racism—particularly of the institutional kind—but stops short of declaring the bogeyman dead.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 2, 2026

Keith Anderson, chief executive of Scottish Power, says: "The government has taken on the planning bogeyman to unlock growth and get us building. That's why the UK is now Iberdrola's biggest investment destination globally."

From BBC Sep. 28, 2025

Genetics seems to be the big driver, reinforcing the argument that autism is a normal human variation and there is no Big Pharma bogeyman at the heart of this issue.

From Slate Sep. 25, 2025

The bogeyman our mothers used to threaten us with when we were slow to finish our meals.

From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed

But that angst can be projected onto bogeymen.

From Salon May 8, 2023

When I hear my students discuss these new tech bogeymen, I’m reminded of the mistakes we’ve made in critiquing the news media.

From Slate May 4, 2023

Both are worldly, well into middle age, and both sense the need to explore their own catacombs and confront the bogeymen within.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 27, 2022

The boss of Iceland said it was "not helpful" to make firms the bogeymen.

From BBC Oct. 7, 2021

Maureen, who was four and had a terrible fear of bogeymen, kept dreaming that intruders in Halloween masks were coming through the open doors to get us.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls




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