bogeyman
/ˈboʊɡiˌmæn/
noun
- An imaginary evil creature used to frighten children into behaving.
- Parents sometimes use the bogeyman as a way to keep kids from wandering off.
- The little boy was scared of the bogeyman hiding under his bed.
- My grandmother used to say the bogeyman would get me if I didn't go to sleep.
- A person or thing that is widely feared or blamed, often unfairly.
- He was treated as the bogeyman of the neighborhood, but he was actually very kind.
- The company became the bogeyman of the tech industry after its data scandal.
- In political debates, immigration is often turned into a bogeyman.