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
But Democratic strategist Basil Smikle believes the specter of former President Donald Trump’s effort to get back to the White House will be a powerful unifying incentive for Democratic voters even in the face of divisive anti-Israel protests.
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Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2024
Maybe observers shouldn’t let the specter of the playoffs diminish their appreciation of regular-season developments, such as Stone’s emergence as a legitimate major league starter or catcher Smith’s improvement throwing out potential base stealers.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024
The judge ruled against the airline and in favor of the passenger in February, but the specter of a company’s arguing that its own A.I. could not be trusted did not bode well for A.I. management teams.
—David Streitfeld, New York Times, 28 May 2024
With the specter of war crimes charges now hanging over the Israel-Hamas war, so too are questions.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for the specter of (something) 
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2024
Maybe observers shouldn’t let the specter of the playoffs diminish their appreciation of regular-season developments, such as Stone’s emergence as a legitimate major league starter or catcher Smith’s improvement throwing out potential base stealers.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024
The judge ruled against the airline and in favor of the passenger in February, but the specter of a company’s arguing that its own A.I. could not be trusted did not bode well for A.I. management teams.
—David Streitfeld, New York Times, 28 May 2024
With the specter of war crimes charges now hanging over the Israel-Hamas war, so too are questions.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 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.
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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 2 Jul. 2024.
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