spooked; spooking; spooks
1
2
: to make frightened or frantic : scare
especially
: to startle into violent activity (such as stampeding)
: to become spooked
cattle spooking at shadows
Synonyms
Examples of spook in a Sentence
Noun
Russia recalled its spooks after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Halloween is the night when spooks and goblins are said to roam abroad.
Verb
The noise spooked the cat.
The little girl was spooked by scary masks.
Recent Examples on the Web
Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2023
Why does her benign response to a throwaway sentiment about old age spook like a damning confession?
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Aug. 2023
Another source of spooks at the hotel, according to Bagans, stems from the Central School.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 15 July 2023
These mischievous, occasionally demonic, spooks of traditional Japanese folklore are known collectively as yokai.
—Hikari Hida, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2023
The best way to get a quick spook in before the end of the day is by lounging in your living room with a good flick.
—Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 12 Apr. 2023
Why not make your house a Halloween spook factory?
—oregonlive, 1 Oct. 2020
In Bamford’s eyes, much if not all the Russiagate story was a put-up job by spooks, journos, and politicians.
—Tim Weiner, The New Republic, 27 Mar. 2023
When Jay Powell makes comments about the rate tightening cycle being higher or longer than expected, this spooks markets because investors worry about how this might impact the bottom line for companies.
—Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023
Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023
That performance spooked investors, with shares dropping 5.2% the next trading session, a move that dragged the whole sector down as well as the CAC 40 Index.
—Angelina Rascouet, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2023
That large assumption of debt evidently spooked investors after the Tuesday announcement.
—Tim Fitzpatrick, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Sep. 2023
Mike Aiello, Universal Orlando Resort’s senior director of Entertainment Creative Development and an HHN mastermind confessed he even gets spooked sometimes.
—Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023
Weak quarterly earnings later this year wouldn’t spook Wall Street as much as data showing persistent inflationary pressure would, according to Thompson.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 3 Sep. 2023
These developments have spooked home buyers, who were already wary.
—Alexandra Stevenson, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2023
Christina Ricci knows a thing or two about spooking people thanks to her iconic role as Wednesday Addams in a pair of Addams Family movies.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 1 Sep. 2023
The Gilgo Beach murders were a series of slayings that spooked Long Island, New York, for years.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 1 Sep. 2023
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Noun
And for those truly looking for a spook, stay overnight at the Tarrytown House Estate, believed to have rooms haunted by ghosts.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2023
Why does her benign response to a throwaway sentiment about old age spook like a damning confession?
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Aug. 2023
Another source of spooks at the hotel, according to Bagans, stems from the Central School.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 15 July 2023
These mischievous, occasionally demonic, spooks of traditional Japanese folklore are known collectively as yokai.
—Hikari Hida, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2023
The best way to get a quick spook in before the end of the day is by lounging in your living room with a good flick.
—Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 12 Apr. 2023
Why not make your house a Halloween spook factory?
—oregonlive, 1 Oct. 2020
In Bamford’s eyes, much if not all the Russiagate story was a put-up job by spooks, journos, and politicians.
—Tim Weiner, The New Republic, 27 Mar. 2023
When Jay Powell makes comments about the rate tightening cycle being higher or longer than expected, this spooks markets because investors worry about how this might impact the bottom line for companies.
—Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023
Verb
Tapping into public unease about the short-term costs of decarbonizing the economy (rather than attempting to do anything about that) is now a wedge issue that the Tories hope to exploit against Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, which is timid and easily spooked about such things.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023
That performance spooked investors, with shares dropping 5.2% the next trading session, a move that dragged the whole sector down as well as the CAC 40 Index.
—Angelina Rascouet, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2023
That large assumption of debt evidently spooked investors after the Tuesday announcement.
—Tim Fitzpatrick, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Sep. 2023
Mike Aiello, Universal Orlando Resort’s senior director of Entertainment Creative Development and an HHN mastermind confessed he even gets spooked sometimes.
—Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023
Weak quarterly earnings later this year wouldn’t spook Wall Street as much as data showing persistent inflationary pressure would, according to Thompson.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 3 Sep. 2023
These developments have spooked home buyers, who were already wary.
—Alexandra Stevenson, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2023
Christina Ricci knows a thing or two about spooking people thanks to her iconic role as Wednesday Addams in a pair of Addams Family movies.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 1 Sep. 2023
The Gilgo Beach murders were a series of slayings that spooked Long Island, New York, for years.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 1 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spook.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Dutch; akin to Middle Low German spōk ghost
First Known Use
Noun
1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1883, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near spook
Cite this Entry
“Spook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spook. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
spook
1 of 2 nounspook
2 of 2 verb
: to make or become frightened : scare
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