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
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Recent Examples of bugaboo
The bugaboos have been controlling his high walk rate and limiting hard contact, something both the White Sox and Dodgers felt was tied to predictable pitch usage.
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Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 6 Aug. 2024
The losing side failed to clear 70 points in all three of those contests, and offensive rebounds — the bugaboo of the 2023 U.S. World Cup team — were pivotal (and incredibly frequent) in two of them.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 16 July 2024
Nevada was hindered by poor free-throw shooting, a bugaboo in recent games.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2024
An eternal bugaboo of mine in the two years of writing these rankings has been finding a third or fourth SEC team to consistently place in the top 25.
—Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 8 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bugaboo 
Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 6 Aug. 2024
The losing side failed to clear 70 points in all three of those contests, and offensive rebounds — the bugaboo of the 2023 U.S. World Cup team — were pivotal (and incredibly frequent) in two of them.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 16 July 2024
Nevada was hindered by poor free-throw shooting, a bugaboo in recent games.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2024
An eternal bugaboo of mine in the two years of writing these rankings has been finding a third or fourth SEC team to consistently place in the top 25.
—Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 8 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bugaboo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugaboo
Noun
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The apocalyptic sense of dread has only been heightened by reports of hydrants running dry and a critical shortage of firefighters.Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025
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Plagued by visions and an increasing sense of dread, Ellen encounters a force far beyond her control.Robert Lang, Deadline, 3 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The new Conservative government, intent on reducing the deficit, cut deep and broad, slashing spending not just on party bugbears like welfare but also on public budgets for investment.Josh Holder, New York Times, 3 July 2024
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Another bugbear on Teams can come if you’ve been invited to a pre-arranged meeting, or left a meeting partway through, but still receive notifications every time a message is typed into the chat box of the ongoing meeting.Chris Stokel-Walker, WIRED, 6 Dec. 2020
Noun
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Already this year, members of the team were dispatched to New Orleans following the New Year’s terror attack and to Las Vegas in response to the Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump hotel.Eric Levenson, CNN, 15 Jan. 2025
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Fighting began in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a terror attack on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed.Alexander Smith, NBC News, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Crack replaced political corruption as the No. 1 plague at the street level.Cary Goodman, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2025
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The Russian government is avoiding mobilization like the plague, engendering clever (but still desperate) ways to pad the ranks.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
Noun
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With Bodine on the bag, in the pouring rain, DeChambeau made 13 birdies — and one bogey — to shoot a historic 58 during the Sunday round of LIV Greenbrier.Gabby Herzig, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
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In fact, Citigroup, while expecting a below-consensus 2.6% GDP pace, sees the inflation gauge hitting the 2% bogey for the quarter, a figure that could help cement a quarter-point reduction in the Fed’s benchmark lending rate when policymakers meet next week.Jeff Cox, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near bugaboo
Cite this Entry
“Bugaboo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugaboo. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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