spirit

noun

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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 Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about spirit

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Synonyms for spirit

Synonyms: Noun

psyche,
soul

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 In the spirit of remaining positive, Indiana entered the half down five and lost by 15 because of a couple late Storm 3-pointers. — J.l. Kirven, The Indianapolis Star, 3 June 2021 The collaborative duo will also be hosting a digital summer kickoff event in the spirit of getting us outside and adventuring with loved ones. — Kendall Cornish, Travel + Leisure, 3 June 2021 In the spirit of investing in the future of fashion, the finalists of the International Woolmark Prize, or the IWP, have been announced. — Shelby Ying Hyde, Harper's BAZAAR, 2 June 2021 Tout the many benefits of feedback often, and convey it in the spirit of learning. — Melissa Eisler, Forbes, 1 June 2021 To get in the spirit of celebrating the city’s food scene, here are our favorite places to eat outside right now. — Karen Kaplan Science And Medicine Editor, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2021 And, to get you in the spirit of things, EW got the cast to share some of their most famous lines. — Jolie Lash, EW.com, 27 May 2021 The foundation has supported the community through grants in an effort to move toward the more energy efficient Ethereum 2.0, but in the spirit of decentralization is not leading the way. — NBC News, 25 May 2021 In the case of this 1968 911, a bare-shell rebuild afforded the opportunity to create a high-power lightweight in the spirit of Porsche’s rare 1968 911 T/R racer. — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 24 May 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb According to a federal indictment against Alzabarah, the engineer turned spy then frantically called Al Asaker, who, along with the Saudi consul general of Los Angeles, helped spirit Alzabarah to Saudi Arabia. — Jacob Silverman, The New Republic, 9 Apr. 2021 Translate yourself to spirit; Be present on your journey. — Jenna Ross, Star Tribune, 12 Mar. 2021 To avoid being spotted by fishermen, the group used several small speedboats to spirit a dozen heavily armed Gambian Navy and fisheries officers out to the Sam Simon after dark. — Ian Urbina, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2021 The pirate could even be the copyist, who could clandestinely make another copy, spirit it out to another publisher, sometimes even before the legitimate one. — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 29 Dec. 2020 The hashish extracted from the plant and sold to smugglers who spirit it out of the country has done more than any other crop to help the village residents edge out of abject poverty. — Ben Hubbard, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2020 In the new design, the cooling elements are integrated throughout by creating microchannels for fluid within semiconductors that spirit away the heat, save energy, and mitigate the environmental problems created by data centers. — Jim Morrison, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Sep. 2020 Thousands evacuated the area, and the county sent dozens of buses earlier this week to spirit away approximately 1,000 people to shelters in inland cities, mainly San Antonio. — Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2020 Mark McGwire hit a pair of two-run homers off Stewart to give Southern California a 6-3 lead, but Henderson spirited a comeback for the Northern Californians, who pulled out a 7-6 victory at Angel Stadium. — John Shea, SFChronicle.com, 30 May 2020

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.