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

Other Words from spirit Synonyms 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

What the Rolling Stones were to music, Bailey was to photography: raw, iconoclastic and utterly attuned to the spirit of London’s youthquake. — Kristina O’neill, WSJ, "WSJ. Magazine Editor’s Letter: Drawing Inspiration," 4 Apr. 2019 After final designs were approved by Jo and original art and displays were crafted, the visual art team had 20 hours to transform the entire shop from festive fall to the spirit of Christmas. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "Watch Magnolia Market Transform For The Holidays," 15 Nov. 2018 In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, these two cute pups showed each other some love. — Cheryl Conley, Houston Chronicle, "The top dog: Coyotes are interesting canines," 10 July 2018 In the spirit of Independence Day, Orange County Animal Services is offering a $10 per pet adoption special for the month of July. — Kate Santich, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orange County Animal Services offering $10 adoptions," 6 July 2018 The Duchess of Sussex arrived in bright spirits and an even brighter ensemble consisting of a purple Aritzia dress and red Sentaler coat. — Marina Liao, Marie Claire, "Why Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Don't Know the Sex of Their Baby Yet," 14 Jan. 2019 The long oil boom that started at nearby Spindletop bequeathed Houston a freewheeling spirit and a pathological suspicion of zoning laws. — The Economist, "Demography is not destinyBuilding a multiracial coalition is more difficult than it seems," 12 July 2018 Everyone is in high spirits and are happy to get out. — Time, "Divers Begin Third Mission to Free Remaining Boys Trapped in a Flooded Thai Cave," 10 July 2018 The grassroots organization had an anarchist spirit and a knack for raucous street protest. — Sascha Cohen, Smithsonian, "How Gay Activists Challenged the Politics of Civility," 10 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Indeed it was limited but spirited Hungary who had the better chances for most of the game. — Afp, chicagotribune.com, "Australia upend Hungary in last World Cup friendly," 9 June 2018 At that meeting, the Journal reported, the men discussed ways to get Mr. Gulen back to Turkey, including the possibility of spiriting him out of the country illegally. — Aruna Viswanatha, WSJ, "Prosecutors Accuse Turkey of Covert Campaign to Pressure U.S. to Hand Over Cleric," 17 Dec. 2018 When Ochoa was 9 months old, her mother paid a smuggler to spirit them from Mexico. — Adam Geller, The Seattle Times, "A community that backed Trump says no to migrant detention center," 30 July 2018 She and her sister Iris, then 11 years old, were placed on a train and spirited away to the English countryside. — Amy B Wang, Washington Post, "What World War II’s ‘Operation Pied Piper’ taught us about the trauma of family separations," 19 June 2018 Likewise, local shellfish is often spirited away to Madrid and Barcelona. — Tom Downey, WSJ, "A Spanish Food and Wine Region Comes Alive Again," 6 Dec. 2018 While doing so, Shrem allegedly spirited away 5,000 bitcoins now worth over $31 million at current exchange rates. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Judge to Winklevoss twins: You can’t seize $31M in allegedly stolen assets," 9 Nov. 2018 Ultimately, steps taken to keep the rivalry spirited yet civil have included a renewed emphasis on sportsmanship and the code of ethics outlined in the California Interscholastic Federation’s program of Pursuing Victory with Honor. — Oscar Terrones, sandiegouniontribune.com, "South Bay baseball rivals decide to cool it," 20 Apr. 2018 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

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.