First Known Use: 1598
Dictionary
bugaboo
noun bug·a·boo \ˈbə-gə-ˌbü\
: something that makes people very worried or upset
plural bug·a·boos
Full Definition of BUGABOO
1
: an imaginary object of fear
2
: bugbear 2; also : something that causes fear or distress out of proportion to its importance
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Origin of BUGABOO
earlier buggybow, bugger-bo, of unknown origin
Related to BUGABOO
- Synonyms
- bête noire, black beast, bogey, bugbear, dread, hobgoblin, ogre
Rhymes with BUGABOO
aperçu, avenue, babassu, baby blue, ballyhoo, barbecue, billet-doux, bird's-eye view, black-and-blue, buckaroo, callaloo, caribou, catechu, clerihew, cobalt blue, cockapoo, cockatoo, Cotonou, counterview, curlicue, déjà vu, derring-do, detinue, feverfew, follow-through, gardyloo, hitherto, honeydew, ingenue, interview, IOU, Irish stew, jabiru, Jiangsu, kangaroo, Kathmandu, kinkajou, loup-garou, Makalu, manitou, marabou, McAdoo, microbrew, midnight blue, Montague, Montesquieu, Mountain View, ormolu, overdo, overdue, overshoe, overstrew, overview, parvenu, parvenue, pas de deux, passe-partout, pay-per-view, PDQ, peacock blue, peekaboo, peer review, petting zoo, Pompidou, Port Salut, rendezvous, residue, retinue, revenue, Roh Tae Woo, seppuku, Shikoku, sneak preview, succès fou, switcheroo, talking-to, teleview, Telugu, thereunto, thirty-two, thitherto, Timbuktu, tinamou, twenty-two, view halloo, vindaloo, w, wallaroo, waterloo, well-to-do, what have you, whoop-de-do, witches' brew, Xanadu
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