spirit

noun

spir·it | \ˈspir-ət

Definition of spirit

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms

2 : a supernatural being or essence: such as

a capitalized : holy spirit

b : soul sense 2a

c : an often malevolent being that is bodiless but can become visible specifically : ghost sense 2

d : a malevolent being that enters and possesses a human being

3 : temper or disposition of mind or outlook especially when vigorous or animated in high spirits

4 : the immaterial intelligent or sentient part of a person

5a : the activating or essential principle influencing a person acted in a spirit of helpfulness

b : an inclination, impulse, or tendency of a specified kind : mood

6a : a special attitude or frame of mind the money-making spirit was for a time driven back— J. A. Froude

b : the feeling, quality, or disposition characterizing something undertaken in a spirit of fun

7 : a lively or brisk quality in a person or a person's actions

8 : a person having a character or disposition of a specified nature

9 : a mental disposition characterized by firmness or assertiveness denied the charge with spirit

10a : distillate sense 1: such as

(1) : the liquid containing ethanol and water that is distilled from an alcoholic liquid or mash —often used in plural

(2) : any of various volatile liquids obtained by distillation or cracking (as of petroleum, shale, or wood) —often used in plural

b : a usually volatile organic solvent (such as an alcohol, ester, or hydrocarbon)

11a : prevailing tone or tendency spirit of the age

b : general intent or real meaning spirit of the law

12 : an alcoholic solution of a volatile substance spirit of camphor

13 : enthusiastic loyalty school spirit

14 capitalized, Christian Science : god sense 1b

spirit

verb

spirited; spiriting; spirits

Definition of spirit (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to infuse with spirit especially : animate hope and apprehension of feasibleness spirits all industry — John Goodman

2 : to carry off usually secretly or mysteriously was hustled into a … motorcar and spirited off to the country— W. L. Shirer

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about spirit

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Choose the Right Synonym for spirit

Noun

courage, mettle, spirit, resolution, tenacity mean mental or moral strength to resist opposition, danger, or hardship. courage implies firmness of mind and will in the face of danger or extreme difficulty. the courage to support unpopular causes mettle suggests an ingrained capacity for meeting strain or difficulty with fortitude and resilience. a challenge that will test your mettle spirit also suggests a quality of temperament enabling one to hold one's own or keep up one's morale when opposed or threatened. her spirit was unbroken by failure resolution stresses firm determination to achieve one's ends. the resolution of pioneer women tenacity adds to resolution implications of stubborn persistence and unwillingness to admit defeat. held to their beliefs with great tenacity

Examples of spirit in a Sentence

Noun

the spirits of my ancestors Some religions believe that the same spirit is reincarnated many times in different bodies. Yoga is very healthy for both body and spirit. We will all miss her generous spirit. My father was a proud spirit.

Verb

The singer was spirited away in a limousine after the show. Some of the funds had been spirited away to other accounts.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

This week is light on Christmas-centric content, but there are still a few things premiering to get you into the holiday spirit. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "9 TV Shows and Movies to Watch to Get Your November Started Right," 4 Nov. 2018 Like their celestial spirit animal, Taureans enjoy relaxing in serene, bucolic environments, surrounded by soft sounds, soothing aromas, and succulent flavors. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "Each Zodiac Sign's Unique Personality Traits, Explained by an Astrologer," 28 Oct. 2018 Without giving too much away, the story revolves around Elizabeth and her quest to bring the Christmas spirit to high-profile billionaire William Darcy (Michael Rady). — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Here's Why Jessica Lowndes of Hallmark's 'Christmas at Pemberley Manor' Looks So Familiar," 27 Oct. 2018 Writer Michael Adno grew up in Sarasota, Florida, home to an unusually large bevy of palmists, mediums, and others able to connect with unseen spirits and energies. — Krista Stevens, Longreads, "You Don’t Move to Sarasota, the Spirit Moves You," 10 July 2018 Other events will be a banquet and silent auction, a spirit investigation and the showing of two Ginger Rogers films. — Dan Kelly, kansascity, "KC events July 12-18: ‘Mamma Mia,’ Comedy Get Down, Ginger Rogers Festival, Tony Rock," 10 July 2018 With all the consumer interest, spirits brands are continuing to release options. — Elva Ramirez, charlotteobserver, "Flavored vodka is moving on from its whipped cream, PB&J past," 6 July 2018 Austin's dad, TJ, has been nurturing this spirit in his son since the beginning. — Southern Living, "This Young Alabama Boy Has A Heart For The Homeless," 3 July 2018 The film’s uncompromising and steady gaze is closer in spirit to a work like Our Daily Bread from Austrian director Nikolaus Geyrhalter, as is the quantity of work the audience has to put in to get something worthwhile out of the experience. — Boyd Van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Walden': Film Review | Karlovy Vary 2018," 12 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The boy was a Chinese citizen, and spiriting him out of the country would be interpreted by Chinese authorities as one thing only: kidnapping. — Todd Pitman, Fox News, "6 Years Gone: Myanmar woman escapes brutal China captivity," 6 Sep. 2018 Ariana Grande’s face has been spirited in from some anodyne TV interview. — Michael Andor Brodeur, BostonGlobe.com, "The looming cloud of ‘deepfake’ videos, and the silver lining," 19 Apr. 2018 Finished in gilded strappy sandals, the new mom's stems skewed entirely toned, likely a result of running after her dog Finn or her baby girl with husband Thomas Sadoski, as well as Mamma Mia!'s spirited, smile-inducing choreography. — Calin Van Paris, Vogue, "Amanda Seyfried Steps Out With a Dramatic Leg Reveal Worthy of a Dancing Queen," 12 July 2018 Children see their mom or dad suddenly subjected to force, shoved out of cars, handcuffed and then simply spirited away. — Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Another Glimpse of State Terror in Trump’s America," 8 June 2018 Human traffickers charge people $7,000 to spirit them from Honduras across the U.S. border.. The caravan was essentially free. — Jim Wyss And Brenda Medina, miamiherald, "Honduran man separated from son at U.S. border 2 months ago fears he 'lost everything'," 5 July 2018 He and Delia hid from the police in a series of comradely households, moving frequently until Neruda was spirited to Patagonia. — Benjamin Kunkel, The New Republic, "The partisan world of Pablo Neruda," 2 July 2018 Paramedics spirited her to a nearby hospital, where doctors determined that she was severely dehydrated; at 90/60, her blood pressure was worrisomely low. — Sandra G. Boodman, Washington Post, "Her doctor said she had the flu. It took years to find the real, and strange, illness.," 23 June 2018 However, spiriting away large quantities of analog data that is not connected to the Internet would be far more difficult. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "In seconds, we faked our way into a political campaign, got unsecured voter data," 5 June 2018

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