ghoul

play

noun \ ˈgül \

Definition of ghoul

1 :a legendary evil being that robs graves and feeds on corpses

2 :one suggestive of a ghoul; especially :one who shows morbid interest in things considered shocking or repulsive

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ghoulish

play \ˈgü-lish\ adjective

—

ghoulishly

adverb

—

ghoulishness

noun

See ghoul defined for English-language learners

See ghoul defined for kids

Examples of ghoul in a Sentence

in Arabic folklore, ghouls could change their shapes but had one unchanging feature: donkey's hooves for feet

Recent Examples of ghoul from the Web

But the ghoul in the White House shouldn't have stalked her, and neither should have The New York Times.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Hillary Clinton's Side of the Story Matters, Too," 23 Aug. 2017
The park opens at 10:30 a.m. and at 7 p.m., the ghouls come out.

— lisa beebe, Los Angeles Magazine, "It’s August, Which Means Tickets to L.A.’s Biggest Halloween Haunts Are Now on Sale," 16 Aug. 2017
But the lone actress playing a man-killing English ghoul was so inspiring in her attempts to raise the energy level that I was delighted, amused, and, briefly, spooked.

— eric thurm, GQ, "Why Cheesy Theme Restaurants Are Actually the Most Fun," 5 Aug. 2017
In 1997, greeted by the ghouls on the Charlotte Coliseum court on Halloween, Charlotte Hornet guard Muggsy Bogues runs out onto the court to the cheers of the fans.

— langston wertz jr, charlotteobserver, "ESPN’s latest 30-for-30 to chronicle former Hornet Muggsy Bogues’ incredible high school team," 5 Aug. 2017
Headlining ghouls include DJ Snake, Porter Robinson, Wiz Khalifa, Steve Angello and Big Gigantic.

— kat bein, Billboard, "Miami's Wynwood Fear Factory 2017 Announces DJ Snake, Porter Robinson, Wiz Khalifa & More," 3 Aug. 2017
Eventually, though, someone will descend to the red sands of Mars to confront the ghoul that lurks there.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "NASA Admits It Probably Can't Put a Person on Mars in the 2030s," 14 July 2017
Ghost, a Swedish band also known as Ghost B.C. in the U.S., has a kind of anti-pope figure fronting the band and a gang of masked ghouls in demonic ecclesiastical robes backing him.

— john adamian, courant.com, "Ghost At College Street Music Hall," 5 July 2017
Exhausted from the West Wing circus of misfits, clowns, and ghouls—

— graydon carter, The Hive, "Trump’s White House: The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight," 19 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ghoul.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ghoul

Arabic ghūl

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First Known Use: 1786

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ghoul Synonyms

Synonyms

cacodemon, devil, fiend, ghost, demon, ghoulie, imp, shaitan

Related Words

hag [archaic], lamia, vampire; incubus, nightmare, succubus; afreet (or afrit), genie, jinni (or jinn also djinni or djinn); apparition, banshee, bogey (also bogie or bogy), bugbear, familiar, familiar spirit, genius, phantasm (also fantasm), phantom, poltergeist, shade, shadow, specter (or spectre), spirit, spook, vision, wraith; brownie, dwarf, elf, faerie (also faery), fairy, fay, gnome, goblin, gremlin, hobgoblin, kobold, leprechaun, pixie (also pixy), puck, sprite, troll; monster, ogre

Near Antonyms

angel

GHOUL Defined for English Language Learners

ghoul

play

noun

Definition of ghoul for English Language Learners

: an evil creature in frightening stories that robs graves and eats dead bodies

GHOUL Defined for Kids

ghoul

play

noun \ ˈgül \

Definition of ghoul for Students

1 :an evil being of legend that robs graves and feeds on dead bodies

2 :someone whose activities suggest those of a ghoul :an evil or frightening person

Learn More about ghoul

See words that rhyme with ghoul Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ghoul Spanish Central: Translation of ghoul Nglish: Translation of ghoul for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ghoul for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ghoul

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Definition of ghoul

ghoulish

ghoulishly

ghoulishness

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Origin and Etymology of ghoul

ghoul Synonyms

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GHOUL Defined for English Language Learners

ghoul

Definition of ghoul for English Language Learners

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