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
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
Julia Shapero, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
Prouty became an ally of Carto’s and a mentor to the director Oliver Stone, who worked some of his feverish theories of power into the screenplay for JFK—Prouty is the sage, fast-talking spook played by Donald Sutherland.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Charlotte Carroll, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
The softer tariff talk comes as Trump backs away from his scathing remarks about Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, which had spooked investors.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spook
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Noun
Technology The Big Story Potential chip tariffs spook tech industry
President Trump’s threats to tariff semiconductors are stoking alarm within the tech sector as companies brace for ripple effects across the industry.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
Prouty became an ally of Carto’s and a mentor to the director Oliver Stone, who worked some of his feverish theories of power into the screenplay for JFK—Prouty is the sage, fast-talking spook played by Donald Sutherland.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
The pick should help the Giants revisit their glory years of terrorizing quarterbacks and give the franchise a defense that should spook opposing offensive coordinators.
—Charlotte Carroll, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
The softer tariff talk comes as Trump backs away from his scathing remarks about Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, which had spooked investors.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spook
Cite this Entry
“Spook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spook. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spook
1 of 2 nounspook
2 of 2 verb
: to make or become frightened : scare
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