bugaboo
noun
bug·a·boo
ˈbə-gə-ˌbü 
plural bugaboos
1
: an imaginary object of fear
2
: bugbear sense 2
also
: something that causes fear or distress out of proportion to its importance
Synonyms
Examples of bugaboo in a Sentence
politicians complaining about that old bugaboo, high oil prices
doing one's tax returns is a real bugaboo for a lot of people
Recent Examples on the Web
Speech delays There weren’t teleprompter flubs or wardrobe malfunctions, but getting access to one’s acceptance speech turned out to be the biggest bugaboo of the show.
—
Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 17 June 2024
One further bugaboo was found on the GM Energy website, which says, in tiny print, that the products are only available in California, Florida, Michigan, New York, and Texas.
—Emme Hall, Ars Technica, 15 May 2024
Doval allowed a run and put the go-ahead runner on first with a pitch clock violation — a consistent bugaboo for him — but still escaped in the top of the ninth.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 28 Apr. 2024
Cleaning the defensive glass has been a bugaboo for the Hoosiers all season, and Purdue is among the best offensive-rebounding teams in the country.
—Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bugaboo 
Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 17 June 2024
One further bugaboo was found on the GM Energy website, which says, in tiny print, that the products are only available in California, Florida, Michigan, New York, and Texas.
—Emme Hall, Ars Technica, 15 May 2024
Doval allowed a run and put the go-ahead runner on first with a pitch clock violation — a consistent bugaboo for him — but still escaped in the top of the ninth.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 28 Apr. 2024
Cleaning the defensive glass has been a bugaboo for the Hoosiers all season, and Purdue is among the best offensive-rebounding teams in the country.
—Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bugaboo
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bugaboo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bugaboo
Cite this Entry
“Bugaboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bugaboo. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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