spirit

play

noun spir·it \ˈspir-ət\

Definition of spirit

1 : an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms
2 : a supernatural being or essence: such asa capitalized : holy spiritb : soul 2ac : an often malevolent being that is bodiless but can become visible; specifically : ghost 2d : 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 helpfulnessb : 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. Froudeb : 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 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 pluralb : a usually volatile organic solvent (such as an alcohol, ester, or hydrocarbon)
11a : prevailing tone or tendency spirit of the ageb : 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 1b

See spirit defined for English-language learners

See spirit defined for kids

Examples of spirit in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of spirit from the Web

Its bar’s beverage of choice will be arak, the anise spirit.

— michael klein, Philly.com, "Suraya: Market, restaurant, and garden on way to Fishtown," 19 July 2017
Kentucky boys Freddie and Fred Noe sat down for this exclusive interview to talk about the process of creating a new whiskey, their bourbon family legacy, and the enduring popularity of brown spirits.

— jonah flicker, Esquire, "Jim Beam's Newest Release Won't Be a Bourbon," 14 July 2017
Jackson’s channeling of backcountry egalitarianism led to universal white male suffrage — and that in turn was the basis and animating spirit for truly universal suffrage.

— nicholas m. gallagher, National Review, "America Needs to Reconcile Its Id and Superego," 11 July 2017
Ireland was wearing a red, white and blue skirt and an American flag hat to show her holiday spirit.

— carrie napoleon, Post-Tribune, "Crowds enjoy Summerfest July 4th parade," 4 July 2017
Using as his material the basic goodness and generosity of spirit in regular people, Carroll tells a different story of America.

— elliot kaufman, National Review, "Grace on the Fourth of July," 4 July 2017
And the politics of paranoia that Cohn and Stone had cynically mastered would eventually make them kindred spirits.

— marie brenner, The Hive, "How Donald Trump and Roy Cohn’s Ruthless Symbiosis Changed America," 4 July 2017
In the spirit of full disclosure, tubing does have a few minor challenges.

— jordan rodriguez, idahostatesman, "Ditch the TV and try a different kind of tube — with a lake view," 3 July 2017
Spirits of Detroit columnist Robert Allen covers craft alcohol for the Free Press.

— robert allen, Detroit Free Press, "Kayak tours crawl through several Traverse City breweries," 1 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of spirit

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, espirit, spirit, from Latin spiritus, literally, breath, from spirare to blow, breathe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of spirit

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

Other Occult Terms

augury, censor, invocation, lucidity, metempsychosis, mojo, numinous, preternatural, weird, wraith

spirit

verb spir·it

Definition of spirit

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

See spirit defined for English-language learners

Examples of spirit in a Sentence

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

First Known Use of spirit

1608

SPIRIT Defined for English Language Learners

spirit

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noun

Definition of spirit for English Language Learners

: the force within a person that is believed to give the body life, energy, and power
: the inner quality or nature of a person
: a person

spirit

verb

Definition of spirit for English Language Learners

: to carry (someone or something) away secretly

SPIRIT Defined for Kids

spirit

play

noun spir·it \ˈspir-ət\

Definition of spirit for Students

1 : ¹mood I'm in good spirits today.
2 : a being (as a ghost) whose existence cannot be explained
3 : a lively or brisk quality They sang with spirit.
4 : a force within a human being thought to give the body life, energy, and power : soul
5 : an attitude or feeling It was said in a spirit of fun.
6 : person 1 She was a bold spirit.
7 : an alcoholic liquor —usually used in pl.
8 cap : God in the form of a spirit in Christianity
9 spirits plural : a solution in alcohol spirits of camphor
10 : real meaning or intention the spirit of the law

spiritless

\-ləs\ adjective

spirit

play

verb spir·it

Definition of spirit for Students

spirited

;

spiriting

: to carry off secretly or mysteriously The jewels were spirited out of the country.

Medical Dictionary

spirit

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noun spir·it \ˈspir-ət\

Medical Definition of spirit

1a: distillate; especially : the liquid containing ethyl alcohol and water that is distilled from an alcoholic liquid or mash—often used in pluralb: a usually volatile organic solvent (as an alcohol, ester, or hydrocarbon)
2: an alcoholic solution of a volatile substance spirit of camphor