the specter of (something)

idiom

: a notion or fear of something bad that might happen in the future

a nation alarmed/haunted by the specter of famine/war

News of the disease raised the specter of a possible plague.

Examples of the specter of (something) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But the specter of the Taliban’s edicts targeting women and girls also looms at the Afghan Post. —

Riazat Butt, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 July 2024 Watson was arrested in April in the island getaway under the territory's firearms law raised the specter of a possible 12-year prison sentence. —

Juliette Arcodia, NBC News, 22 June 2024 Chief among them, for the athletes and the future of the Games, is the specter of systemic doping. —

Marisa Guthrie, WWD, 14 June 2024 Now, an attack by either side will invite a direct response by the other, raising the specter of a larger war. —

Vali Nasr, Foreign Affairs, 14 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for the specter of (something)

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the specter of (something).' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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“The specter of (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20specter%20of%20%28something%29. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.

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