bogeyman

IPA/ˈbəʊɡimæn/
KK[bˈoɡimˌæn]IPA/ˈbəʊɡimæn/

bogeyman — noun

  • bogeymansingular
  • bogeymansplural

1. A frightening imaginary creature that adults say will come to punish children wh

1.名詞B2
釋義

A frightening imaginary creature that adults say will come to punish children who behave badly, used as a way to make children follow rules or go to sleep.

例句

My grandmother told us the bogeyman would get us if we stayed out after dark.

the bogeyman + would get [someone] — threat formulation

Some politicians use immigration as a bogeyman to scare voters before elections.

use [something] as a bogeyman — political metaphor

同義詞
  • monster

    broader term for any frightening creature; bogeyman is a specific type used to scare children into behaving

  • spectre

    more formal and literary; often refers to a ghostly or haunting figure rather than a child-discipline device

  • bugbear

    similar figurative range but less common; often means a persistent irritation rather than a deliberate threat

反義詞
  • protector

    a protector keeps children safe; the bogeyman threatens them

  • guardian

    a guardian watches over children; the bogeyman is used to frighten them

文法句型

the bogeyman (singular)

bogeyman + will + [verb]

用法筆記

Almost always used with the definite article ('the bogeyman'). In political and media discussions, the word is often used metaphorically to describe a person or group blamed for society's problems.

常見錯誤

❌A bogeyman is hiding under my bed.
✅The bogeyman is hiding under my bed.
💡In the traditional child-scaring sense, the word is almost always used with 'the' because it refers to a single, well-known imaginary figure, not any one of many monsters.