bugaboo

noun

ˈbə-gə-ˌbü How to pronounce bugaboo (audio)
Definition of bugaboonext
as in dread
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason doing one's tax returns is a real bugaboo for a lot of people

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bugaboo En route to finally winning a Super Bowl, the Colts were finally getting the upper hand on their longtime bugaboo, the Brady-Bill Belichick Patriots. — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 4 May 2026 Five batters into Sunday’s game and the home run bugaboo that plagued Imanaga last season delivered a sense of déjà vu to the 33,559 fans in attendance at Wrigley Field. — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026 But defense remains a big bugaboo, especially around the rim. — Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026 Quite simply, Texas got bit by the same bugaboo that has haunted it this entire season. — Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 8 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bugaboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugaboo
  1. dread
  2. terror
  3. bugbear
  4. plague
  5. bogey
Noun
  • Sort the genuine threats from the merely unpleasant ones, and a surprising amount of everyday dread will dissipate.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 10 Aug. 2026
  • There is dread and sadness and also anger, not only on behalf of the usual alibi for caring about famous women’s bodies, those masses of impressionable teen-age girls, but on behalf of past and present selves.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of dread
Noun
  • The official did not provide further details on the alleged association with terror organizations.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • An experience that demands the big screen, featuring even more astounding effects choreography than its predecessor, Godzilla Minus Zero cranks up the terror while always keeping its post-WWII Japan narrative at human eye level.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of terror
Noun
  • Cuba’s communist regime has historically been a bugbear for the US, particularly for Republicans.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 19 July 2026
  • The heat and humidity during our test week brought me to my other bugbear with the C-HR.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2026
Definition of bugbear
Noun
  • Communism was an ideological plague that killed more than 100 million people and tyrannized and warped the lives of hundreds of millions more.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • And Gakpo offers a solution both on the wing and through the middle, should injuries plague Spurs’ centre-forwards again.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of plague
Noun
  • Hossler was leading until a 30-minute delay because of storms, and returned to three-putt from 30 feet for bogey on the par-3 16th hole, ending his streak of 31 holes without a bogey.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Young cooled off with two birdies on his back nine in a bogey-free round, closing with a Detroit Golf Club-record tying 61 to reach 10 under for the tournament to tie Patrick Cantlay (66) and Patrick Fishburn (66) atop the leaderboard Friday.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of bogey

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bug
bugaboo
bugaboos
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Cite this Entry

“Bugaboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugaboo. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of bugaboo for Spanish Speakers

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