spook

1 of 2

noun

ˈspük 

1

: ghost, specter

2

: an undercover agent : spy

spookish

ˈspü-kish 

adjective

spook

2 of 2

verb

spooked; spooking; spooks

transitive verb

1

: haunt sense 1

2

: to make frightened or frantic : scare

especially : to startle into violent activity (such as stampeding)

intransitive verb

: to become spooked

cattle spooking at shadows

Synonyms of spook

Noun

• spy
• operative
• agent

Verb

• frighten
• scare
• terrify
• startle

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

Noun

In general, most experts agree that for a foreign vote-changing scheme to work, spooks would have to get physical access to the casting and counting systems used in thousands of different locations scattered around the country. — Philip Elliott, Time, 17 July 2026

Portofiro and the baroque universe surrounding it—communists on-world, techno-fascists offplanet, and all manner of augmentoids and spooks in the immaterial planes between—can make for a dizzying read. — Alex James Kane, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

Verb

Meriwether managed to wrangle him back in with a script rewrite, but the question mark remained if he might get spooked again. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026

In towns such as La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, the village just north of Puerto Vallarta that was home to seven of the eight men killed in February, the strikes have spooked fishermen involved in legal activities who now fear being mistakenly targeted. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

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

Rhymes for spook

• fluke
• juke
• kook
• luc
• luke
• nuke
• puke
• souk
• archduke
• rebuke
• caoutchouc

Kids Definition

spook

1 of 2 noun

ˈspük 

1

: ghost, specter

2

: spy entry 2 sense 2

spook

2 of 2 verb

: to make or become frightened : scare