spook 1 of 2

noun

ˈspük How to pronounce spook (audio)
Definition of spooknext
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

spook

2 of 2

verb

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

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 spook
Noun
Remember that movement spooks turkeys more than anything else. — Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026 Anthropic spooks cyber firms; eyes IPO. — John Kell, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
Kontras believes the case of the patterning was simply because the buck had seldom, if ever, been spooked by a man. — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026 Shortly after, Rebecca gets the bad news that Pinter & Sons, spooked by the meeting, have pulled its sponsorship from the women’s team. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spook
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spook
  1. spy
  2. ghost
  3. frighten
  4. operative
  5. apparition
  6. scare
  7. agent
  8. spirit
Noun
  • Yet the Department of Military Counterintelligence—formally responsible for detecting foreign spies within the armed forces—has also been involved in many cases, reflecting the growing dependence of Russian industries on military contracts.
    — Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The Bourne Identity Teens who enjoy action movies and spy capers will be all about the first film in the Bourne movie series, which came out in 2002.
    — Kara Nesvig, Parents, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of spy
Noun
  • To be eligible to play Power Four college sports now means to breathe; there are rumors that a group of ghosts from the 1907 Pitt Panthers is suing the NCAA to play another year.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026
  • In one extended sequence, Delaney just wanders his lonely apartment, the ghost of his wife already haunting the place.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of ghost
Verb
  • The aggressive approach deeply disrupted and frightened the participants.
    — Kimmie Gordon, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Penelope, too, is asked to occupy a landscape that frightens her, not only as a neurodivergent child in a neurotypical culture, but as a child now situated in an adult world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of frighten
Noun
  • Filming has now begun on location in Malta, with Winstone starring as Alan ‘Razor’ Sharp, a former SAS operative haunted by a botched mission in the 1990s that left his reputation in tatters and his best friend dead.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The six-part series sees Winstone play Razor, a former SAS operative haunted by a botched mission in the ‘90s that left his reputation in tatters and his best friend dead.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of operative
Noun
  • One minute, the stubble field in front of his stand had been empty, and then suddenly, like an apparition, a whitetail buck had appeared.
    — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
  • That is, until miraculous apparitions turn it into a place to be.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 July 2026
Definition of apparition
Verb
  • Smaller payouts scare off potential investors, meaning promising treatments are often left on a shelf.
    — Brad Quick, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Historians say the horns may have been blown to scare evil spirits, to proclaim victories, or as a way to encourage divine mercy.
    — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of scare
Noun
  • Rogue OpenAI agents’ unprecedented coordination during the Hugging Face attack significantly increases the risk of AI escaping human control, analysts said, days after investigators released a bombshell report into the incident.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • This was followed by the creation of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) on July 22 to handle espionage and resistance agents, and the first raids were already being carried out.
    — David Szondy August 30, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of agent
Noun
  • In her latest book, Stay Buried, siblings new to a remote Vermont town discover that the locals live in fear of a vengeful spirit.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 2 Sep. 2026
  • But the legacy of the modernist academic-cultural complex blinds us to the mimetic spirit of this new technical logic.
    — Mario Carpo, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of spirit

Browse Nearby Words

spoofs
spook
spooked
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spook. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All