noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈbəʊ.ɡɪˌmæn/
UK:/ˈbəʊ.ɡiˌmæn/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˈboʊ.ɡiˌmæn/
US:/ˈbʊɡ.iˌmæn/
US:/ˈbu.ɡiˌmæn/
Canada:/ˈbu.ɡiˌmæn/
CMU ARPABET:B OW1 G IY0 M AE2 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:B UH1 G IY0 M AE2 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Any make-believe threat, especially one used to intimidate or distract, or a real threat greatly exaggerated for those purposes; often taking the form of a notorious historical personage suggested to return as a revenant to punish for wrongdoing.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, figuratively
Examples
Near-synonyms: bug-a-boo, bugaboo, chimera
The bogeyman of a Halloween-candy poisoner behind every door has animated occasional moral panics against trick-or-treating.
The specter of an election-vote recount is this year's political bogeyman.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bug-a-boo, bugaboo, chimera
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
an imaginary monster used to frighten children
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bugbear, bugaboo, boogeyman, booger
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: monster
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English bogey Proto-Indo-European *mon- Proto-Germanic *mann- Proto-West Germanic *mann Old English mann Middle English man Middle English -man English -man English bogeyman From bogey + -man.
Across languages
Translations
92 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
gogol
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Arabic:
بُعْبُع
(buʕbuʕ)
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Arabic:
بوعو
(būʕʕu)
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Arabic:
بو خنشة
(bū ḵanša)
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Basque:
hamalau-zaku
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Catalan:
home del sac
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Catalan:
papu
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Chinese Mandarin:
怪物
(guàiwù)
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Chinese Mandarin:
魔鬼
(móguǐ)
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Czech:
bubák
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Czech:
strašák
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Czech:
strašidlo
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Danish:
bussemand
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Danish:
bøhmand
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Dutch:
boeman
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Dutch:
bietebauw
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Esperanto:
infantimigulo
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Estonian:
koll
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Finnish:
mörkö
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
French:
croque-mitaine
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Galician:
sacaúntos
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Galician:
coco
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Galician:
sacamanteigas
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Galician:
papón
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
German:
Butzemann
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
German:
Schreckgespenst
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Greek:
μπαμπούλας
(bampoúlas)
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Ancient Greek:
μορμολυκεῖον
(mormolukeîon)
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Hungarian:
krampusz
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Hungarian:
mumus
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Italian:
uomo nero
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Italian:
babau
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Japanese:
ブギーマン
(bugīman)
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
Japanese:
小鬼
(ko-oni)
— menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories
