as in ghost
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
we thought a poltergeist was knocking dishes off the shelves, but it turned out to just be vibrations from passing trains
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poltergeist
Or might the brook be angry, like a poltergeist deranged by degradation, indignity, and concealment?
—
Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 30 Oct. 2024
For all of movie history’s great what-if casting coulda-beens, Beetlejuice might have the best of all of them: Burton wanted Sammy Davis Jr. to play the titular poltergeist.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2024
In Louisville, they are regaled with tales of poltergeists like The Lady in Blue at the old Seelbach Hotel, once frequented by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Al Capone.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
Lamorne Morris is a lovesick poltergeist in Ghosts first-look photos
08 of 20
House of the Dragon (2022–present)
Thankfully, Game of Thrones fans didn't have to wait long for another trip to Westeros.
—EW.com, 30 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for poltergeist
Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 30 Oct. 2024
For all of movie history’s great what-if casting coulda-beens, Beetlejuice might have the best of all of them: Burton wanted Sammy Davis Jr. to play the titular poltergeist.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2024
In Louisville, they are regaled with tales of poltergeists like The Lady in Blue at the old Seelbach Hotel, once frequented by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Al Capone.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
Lamorne Morris is a lovesick poltergeist in Ghosts first-look photos
08 of 20
House of the Dragon (2022–present)
Thankfully, Game of Thrones fans didn't have to wait long for another trip to Westeros.
—EW.com, 30 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for poltergeist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poltergeist
Noun
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In the epic fifth and final season, Joe Goldberg returns to New York to enjoy his happily ever after… until his perfect life is threatened by the ghosts of his past and his own dark desires.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
25 Feb. 2025
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In addition to Neftalí and her bandmates, there is her mother, who appears as a ghost, and her mother’s former lover Bettina, who helped instill Neftalí’s love of books.—
David L. Ulin,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Zoe, as an apparition, is both the cause and relief to her pain.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
28 Feb. 2025
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In one of the film’s more startling moments, Shiri and Yarden Bibas and other residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz — many of whom, including Shiri Bibas and her two children, are now confirmed dead — flit across the screen like apparitions.—
Toby Axelrod,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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So something to the spirit of that is really speaking to me.—
David Kinne,
EW.com,
24 Feb. 2025
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On a shared platform for sustainability data, companies can align incentives and foster a spirit of cooperation instead of traditional adversarial buyer-supplier relationships.—
Marianne Lehnis,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The sonic phantoms that have long plagued The View have finally wafted over to terrorize the set of Live With Kelly and Mark.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
18 Feb. 2025
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The results showed clear differences in signal quality: The phantom simulating dry skin had a lower signal-to-noise ratio, while the hydrated skin phantom showed better signal clarity.—
Krittika Goyal,
The Conversation,
29 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poltergeist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poltergeist. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
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