as in ghost
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
we thought a poltergeist was knocking dishes off the shelves, but it turned out to just be vibrations from passing trains
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Recent Examples of poltergeist
Houses have always been haunted, but, whereas poltergeists of yore troubled the suburban idyll of white America, in these shows the scariest spectre is a disappearing profit margin.
—
Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Enraged, the spirit goes upstairs to his room and begins to cause poltergeist activity like breaking shelves, throwing objects and tearing down posters.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
The vocals are ghastly, like poltergeists speaking from the beyond, trying to convey some hazy message the mortals can’t decipher.
—Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
Does a person accept, say, poltergeists, but not extrasensory perception?
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for poltergeist
Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Enraged, the spirit goes upstairs to his room and begins to cause poltergeist activity like breaking shelves, throwing objects and tearing down posters.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
The vocals are ghastly, like poltergeists speaking from the beyond, trying to convey some hazy message the mortals can’t decipher.
—Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
Does a person accept, say, poltergeists, but not extrasensory perception?
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for poltergeist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poltergeist
Noun
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But what do the locals actually think of their vampire-like namesake, who is believed to be the vengeful ghost of a woman who died in pregnancy or childbirth? To find out, researcher Timo Duile headed to Pontianak for conversations with ethnic Malay Muslim and Dayak Christian residents.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
5 July 2025
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The ghosts of late 1950s-early 1960s country favorites Maybelle Carter and Patsy Cline share space with pop-soul icons The Shirelles.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Noun
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If the humor clicks with you, there’s joy to be had in accidentally setting yourself on fire over and over again while being chased by a Slenderman-like apparition made of Post-Its.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
19 June 2025
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Venus reaches its point of greatest western elongation on June 1, at which time the dazzling 'morning star' will be at its most distant point from the sun in Earth's sky during its pre-dawn apparition.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
31 May 2025
Noun
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The fun-loving spirit of the shimmery product was captured in the punky campaign, inspired by the 2012 thriller in which Gomez starred alongside Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine and James Franco.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
8 July 2025
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There was no moment in the tournament that better captured the spirit of football and its role as an emotional release valve than when every member of the squad hounded Gray.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Rubin hopes to tally these same sorts of deep-space particles, the kind that all of Earth is constantly microdosing, phantom starlight from the farthest reaches of the universe.—
Michael Jones McKean,
The Atlantic,
23 June 2025
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At least until quarter to 2, when Lindsay Lohan whorls through the door like a raspy chaos phantom.—
Jeff Weiss,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poltergeist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poltergeist. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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