Boogieman

Pronunciation: /ˈbuɡiˈmæn/

Boogieman (noun)

  1. A made-up person children imagine to frighten them into behaving.
  2. A person or thing someone blames for bad events, even when there is no real evidence.

Examples

  • The boogieman scared the child at bedtime.
  • At night, the child imagined the boogieman in the dark.