1
as in spy
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country
Russia recalled its spooks after the collapse of the Soviet Union
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in ghost
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
Halloween is the night when spooks and goblins are said to roam abroad
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to frighten
to strike with fear
the sudden noise spooked her out of her skin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spook
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 14 July 2024
Read on for what the cosmos have in store for your zodiac sign this Halloween amid Scorpio season, according to PEOPLE's resident astrologer Kyle Thomas
Comments
There's a spook in the stars!
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024
Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Jan. 2025
He was reinstated five days later, but Mr. Nadella was spooked and decided not to put in the money for Stargate.
—Cecilia Kang, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spook
Noun
But Fly Me to the Moon barely develops its lead characters, played by Johansson and Channing Tatum, so what chance does Harrelson have in playing anything more than a one-dimensional spook?
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 14 July 2024
Read on for what the cosmos have in store for your zodiac sign this Halloween amid Scorpio season, according to PEOPLE's resident astrologer Kyle Thomas
Comments
There's a spook in the stars!
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
Republican lawyers, meanwhile, were still spooked by what happened in the aftermath of 2020.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Jan. 2025
He was reinstated five days later, but Mr. Nadella was spooked and decided not to put in the money for Stargate.
—Cecilia Kang, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spook
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spook
Noun
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First came Witness by the American journalist Whittaker Chambers, a former communist and Soviet spy who eventually broke with the party and became a political conservative.—
Michael Kimmage,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
-
The titular protagonist is a former military spy turned maverick detective and, importantly, bookshop owner.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2025
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
Verb
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On the streets, conservative protesters, frightened that the left could win the next election, have rallied to Yoon.—
ROBERT E. KELLY,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Feb. 2025
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That frightened stray kitten forgot her fears and moved up on that ball of paper and batted it across the floor and then batted it again.—
Carole Wendt,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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After being asked by the FBI employee, Pang also agreed to provide two US military uniforms for operatives to wear inside the base during the attack, and a cell phone that could be used as a test for a detonator, court documents say.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN,
28 Feb. 2025
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So the big reveal on the Epstein Files is that SOME of them were given to a group of right-wing social media operatives?—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Zoe, as an apparition, is both the cause and relief to her pain.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
28 Feb. 2025
-
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
Verb
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In 2023, a bear barged into a bakery in Avon, scared employees and helped itself to 60 cupcakes before ambling away.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2025
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Wise infuses a nurturing maturity and vulnerability in Nicole that scares Roger, and challenges him to confront his unhealthy relationship habits and general indecisiveness.—
Morgan A. Grain,
Essence,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The show follows a Secret Service agent caught in a web of conspiracy after the U.S. president is assassinated, with no suspect in sight.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
28 Feb. 2025
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Mexico has sent drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who is wanted for the notorious killing of a U.S. DEA agent in 1985, to the United States with 28 other prisoners requested by the U.S. government, the Justice Department confirmed Thursday evening.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 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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However nebulous, these extravagant plans signal a spirit of collaboration.—
Kyle Chayka,
The New Yorker,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spook. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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