a pernicious and malign influence that is hard to get rid of; "racism is a pestilence at the heart of the nation"; "according to him, I was the canker in their midst"
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy; "`I won!' he exclaimed"; "`Help!' she cried"; "`I'm here,' the mother shouted when she saw her child looking lost"
an object of dread or apprehension; "Germany was always a bugbear for France"; "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds"--Ralph Waldo Emerson