bogymen
/ˈboʊɡiˌmɛn/
noun
- Plural of bogyman; imaginary monsters or evil figures used to frighten children.
- In the old tales, bogymen were said to steal children who stayed out after dark.
- The campfire stories were full of bogymen that haunted the woods.
- Parents sometimes invent bogymen to keep kids from wandering off alone.
- Plural of bogyman; people or things that are blamed for problems or feared without good reason.
- The company's leaders treated all competitors as bogymen, ignoring their own mistakes.
- During the election, both sides used each other as bogymen to rally their supporters.
- The media often creates bogymen out of minority groups, which is unfair and harmful.