ghoul

noun

ˈgül How to pronounce ghoul (audio)
Definition of ghoulnext
as in demon
an evil spirit in Arabic folklore, ghouls could change their shapes but had one unchanging feature: donkey's hooves for feet

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ghoul At once not quite real and all too real, Cohn has the uncanny presence of a ghoul or a fiend. — Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026 Gemma even winds up having to give a teeth cleaning to one of the silent, creepy ghouls pursuing her. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026 Practicality Viewers know Walton Goggins’ Cooper Howard as a ghoul because of radiation from a bomb dropped in 2077. — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026 Algol relates to the Arabic al-ghül, which signifies demon or ghoul. — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ghoul
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghoul
  1. demon
  2. ghost
  3. vampire
  4. devil
Noun
  • No ghosts, ghouls, or demons here, just the evil things that greed makes people do, at least until the little guy starts fighting back.
    — Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Written and directed by Jeremy Slater, the film follows Jefferson Haddock (Bacon), who is called into an isolated witness protection property to deal with a terrifying demon, unleashing a force that threatens to end him and everything around him.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of demon
Noun
  • From glittering ghosts, ghastly goblins and wicked witches to wily warlocks, fashion can inspire any Halloween transformation.
    — Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • There were earlier versions of this story that were openly mocking of Kip, versions that threw Leo under the bus for being too sly; versions that were too overtly political; versions with ghosts that didn’t need to be there, and so on.
    — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of ghost
Noun
  • After last Thursday’s pilot, their family is about to get a little bigger now that Emma’s boyfriend Max (Jaren Lewison) is also a vampire.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • This represents the first time astronomers have seen a low-mass star acting as a stellar vampire, stealing material from a low-mass stellar companion.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of vampire
Noun
  • In Jennifer’s Body, Needy (Seyfried) is BFFs with the titular mean girl played by Fox, whose body becomes possessed by a succubus with a taste for teen boys after a botched sacrifice by a devil-worshipping boy band (led by Adam Brody).
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Behave yourself, buddy, or the little red devil will take you away!
    — Sanat Pai Raikar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of devil

Browse Nearby Words

ghosty
ghoul
ghoulie
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ghoul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghoul. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on ghoul

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ghoul

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