bugaboo

[ buhg-uh-boo ]
See synonyms for bugaboo on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural bug·a·boos.
  1. something that causes fear or worry; bugbear; bogy.

Origin of bugaboo

1
1730–40; earlier buggybow.See bogy1, boo1

Words Nearby bugaboo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bugaboo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bugaboo

bugaboo

/ (ˈbʌɡəˌbuː) /


nounplural -boos
  1. an imaginary source of fear; bugbear; bogey

Origin of bugaboo

1
C18: probably of Celtic origin; compare Cornish buccaboo the devil

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012