the specter of (something)
idiom
: a notion or fear of something bad that might happen in the future
a nation alarmed/haunted by the specter of famine/war
News of the disease raised the specter of a possible plague.
Examples of the specter of (something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
None of it illuminates Carmy’s character the way the specter of his dead brother did.
—
Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 27 June 2024
Although the Biden administration has canceled billions of dollars in student debt, the specter of court challenges continues to loom over those efforts.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024
How Cremation Lost Its Stigma The pro-cremation movement of the nineteenth century battled religious tradition, not to mention the specter of mass graves during epidemics.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
Some council members raised the specter of potentially reorganizing Team San Jose, possibly even breaking up the organization into two or three groups, each of which would be more narrowly focused.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for the specter of (something) 
Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 27 June 2024
Although the Biden administration has canceled billions of dollars in student debt, the specter of court challenges continues to loom over those efforts.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024
How Cremation Lost Its Stigma The pro-cremation movement of the nineteenth century battled religious tradition, not to mention the specter of mass graves during epidemics.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
Some council members raised the specter of potentially reorganizing Team San Jose, possibly even breaking up the organization into two or three groups, each of which would be more narrowly focused.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for the specter of (something)
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the specter of (something).' 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 the specter of (something)
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“The specter of (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20specter%20of%20%28something%29. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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