bugaboo

[ buhg-uh-boo ]

noun

, plural bug·a·boos.

1. something that causes fear or worry; bugbear; bogy.

bugaboo

/ ˈbʌɡəˌbuː /

noun

1. an imaginary source of fear; bugbear; bogey

Word History and Origins

Origin of bugaboo¹

1730–40; earlier buggybow. See bogy ¹, boo ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of bugaboo¹

C18: probably of Celtic origin; compare Cornish buccaboo the devil

Example Sentences

And despite getting Anthony Rizzo to pop up for the second out, the long-ball bugaboo bit him against Volpe.

From Los Angeles Times

It metastasized from there, becoming a bugaboo on all sorts of MAGA-aligned accounts.

From Slate

In the most Veep-like moment of the campaign, Trone, during a House Budget Committee meeting, meant to say “bugaboo,” but instead used a phonetically similar racial slur.

From Slate

The frankly odd “bugaboo” issue aside, some of these controversies are over standard stuff in competitive primaries: Candidate A says he has better experience and better endorsers.

From Slate

He later apologized, adding that he misspoke and meant to say “bugaboo.”

From New York Times