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
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Recent Examples of poltergeist
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.
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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
In 1548, Johannes Gast wrote about a Faust who had played tricks on a group of monks by introducing a poltergeist into the monastery.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
In the clip, Lydia Deetz (Ryder) and her daughter, Astrid (Ortega), appear to accidentally summon the poltergeist just as Lydia did in the 1988 classic by repeating Beetlejuice's name three times.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for poltergeist 
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
In 1548, Johannes Gast wrote about a Faust who had played tricks on a group of monks by introducing a poltergeist into the monastery.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
In the clip, Lydia Deetz (Ryder) and her daughter, Astrid (Ortega), appear to accidentally summon the poltergeist just as Lydia did in the 1988 classic by repeating Beetlejuice's name three times.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for poltergeist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poltergeist
Noun
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Kelly Clarkson isn’t visiting any ghosts of Christmas past this holiday season.Latoya Gayle, People.com, 20 Dec. 2024
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This lounge has custom drinks with the best names (my favorite was Happily Never After), and every corner has been themed to the classic Disney attraction, from the wallpaper with eyes to the hitchhiking ghosts in the mirror.Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Our hopes for the power of small transformations may be misplaced, while the power of the sudden apparition—The drones are here!Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
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La Virgen had made apparitions to Juan Diego between Dec. 9-12, 1531 on Mexico City’s hill of Tepeyac in between tending to an ailing uncle.Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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David not only excels musically on the trombone but also brings a collaborative and positive spirit that inspires the entire group.Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 22 Dec. 2024
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Loeffler Randall Ginger Red Velvet Mary Jane Step into the holiday spirit with Loeffler Randall’s Mary Jane flats in luxurious red velvet, featuring delicate tonal piping.Angela Lei, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The Wizard of Oz Effect In the movie The Wizard of Oz, there’s a scene where the protagonist, Dorothy, and her band of misfits are seeking the great and powerful Oz, an amorphous wizard who appears as a phantom atop an explosion of smoke.Steve Tengler, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
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Ghosts has slowly been expanding its world over four seasons to introduce its stalwart spirits to a whole host of new phantoms.Katie Campione, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near poltergeist
Cite this Entry
“Poltergeist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poltergeist. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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