spooked; spooking; spooks
1
2
: to make frightened or frantic : scare
especially
: to startle into violent activity (such as stampeding)
: to become spooked
cattle spooking at shadows
Synonyms
Examples of spook in a Sentence
Noun
Russia recalled its spooks after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Halloween is the night when spooks and goblins are said to roam abroad.
Verb
The noise spooked the cat.
The little girl was spooked by scary masks.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jené Luciani Sena, Fox News, 25 Oct. 2023
While Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees may be the holiday’s unofficial mascots, there are plenty of films with just enough spook and thrill for kids to enjoy.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 20 Oct. 2023
Taylor Swift, government spooks, and art In late 2022, Mullenweg tweeted that Tumblr app downloads were up 57–58 percent on iOS and Android.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 9 Nov. 2023
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 4 Seasonal Sweets Skip the spooks on a dessert buffet and make a sweet fall floral display surrounded by mini pumpkins instead.
—Alyssa Longobucco, House Beautiful, 31 July 2023
And for those truly looking for a spook, stay overnight at the Tarrytown House Estate, believed to have rooms haunted by ghosts.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2023
Why does her benign response to a throwaway sentiment about old age spook like a damning confession?
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Aug. 2023
Another source of spooks at the hotel, according to Bagans, stems from the Central School.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 15 July 2023
These mischievous, occasionally demonic, spooks of traditional Japanese folklore are known collectively as yokai.
—Hikari Hida, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2023
Paolo Confino, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024
The current is your friend; use it to drift your fly to the fish to avoid spooking.
—Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 24 Apr. 2024
First responders raced to incidents 5 miles across the capital after the steeds from the Household Cavalry, the top regiment of the British Army, became spooked by construction work, the army said.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Uncertainty around the public funding could spook potential investors.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Some economists are warning that Trump’s trade agenda and the ensuing retaliation from trading partners would hurt the US economy by worsening inflation, killing jobs, depressing growth and spooking investors.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Another thread in Welch’s GE strategy was a reluctance to spook investors by risking money on expensive long-term projects.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
Some animals may spook, be more on edge, and potentially group together, while others might not react at all.
—Mallory Moench, TIME, 7 Apr. 2024
Wall Street was spooked by economic data from the prior week showing that price pressures persisted in February and consumer spending surged that month.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
Noun
Here are five ideas for getting your spook on for All Hallows Eve this year.
—Jené Luciani Sena, Fox News, 25 Oct. 2023
While Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees may be the holiday’s unofficial mascots, there are plenty of films with just enough spook and thrill for kids to enjoy.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 20 Oct. 2023
Taylor Swift, government spooks, and art In late 2022, Mullenweg tweeted that Tumblr app downloads were up 57–58 percent on iOS and Android.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 9 Nov. 2023
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 4 Seasonal Sweets Skip the spooks on a dessert buffet and make a sweet fall floral display surrounded by mini pumpkins instead.
—Alyssa Longobucco, House Beautiful, 31 July 2023
And for those truly looking for a spook, stay overnight at the Tarrytown House Estate, believed to have rooms haunted by ghosts.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2023
Why does her benign response to a throwaway sentiment about old age spook like a damning confession?
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Aug. 2023
Another source of spooks at the hotel, according to Bagans, stems from the Central School.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 15 July 2023
These mischievous, occasionally demonic, spooks of traditional Japanese folklore are known collectively as yokai.
—Hikari Hida, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2023
Verb
While Haefele is right to caution that a single disappointing report doesn’t mean stagflation will be a certainty, the market did get spooked.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024
The current is your friend; use it to drift your fly to the fish to avoid spooking.
—Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 24 Apr. 2024
First responders raced to incidents 5 miles across the capital after the steeds from the Household Cavalry, the top regiment of the British Army, became spooked by construction work, the army said.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Uncertainty around the public funding could spook potential investors.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Some economists are warning that Trump’s trade agenda and the ensuing retaliation from trading partners would hurt the US economy by worsening inflation, killing jobs, depressing growth and spooking investors.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Another thread in Welch’s GE strategy was a reluctance to spook investors by risking money on expensive long-term projects.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
Some animals may spook, be more on edge, and potentially group together, while others might not react at all.
—Mallory Moench, TIME, 7 Apr. 2024
Wall Street was spooked by economic data from the prior week showing that price pressures persisted in February and consumer spending surged that month.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spook.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near spook
Cite this Entry
“Spook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spook. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spook
1 of 2 nounspook
2 of 2 verb
: to make or become frightened : scare
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