1
as in spy
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country
Russia recalled its spooks after the collapse of the Soviet Union
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in ghost
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
Halloween is the night when spooks and goblins are said to roam abroad
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to frighten
to strike with fear
the sudden noise spooked her out of her skin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spook
Philip Elliott, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
George gets a tip from a fellow agency spook that there’s a rat in the house.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2025
Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2025
The sell-off in bonds in particular appeared to spook the White House into pausing most of its reciprocal tariffs.
—Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spook
Noun
Subsequently, a spy for the U.S. inside Vladimir Putin’s regime was extracted on fears Trump and his team were being sloppy with the nation’s secrets and could put the spook at risk.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
George gets a tip from a fellow agency spook that there’s a rat in the house.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2025
Verb
There’s also concern that the lines will interfere with GPS signals that ranchers use in their day-to-day work, and the entire setup could potentially spook cattle.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2025
The sell-off in bonds in particular appeared to spook the White House into pausing most of its reciprocal tariffs.
—Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spook
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spook
Noun
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Trump also singled out Aston Martin cars, the ride James Bond uses in the iconic spy movies, while speaking to reporters Wednesday.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
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Such is the thrust of their latest foray into international programming, a series based on the life of Marie-Antoine Carême, a legendary figure in French culinary history — he is referenced as a gastronomic god in The Taste of Things — who has been transformed into a dashing twink spy.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
8 May 2025
Noun
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The Avs needed to trade Rantanen to shake up the locker room, but MacFarland landed terrific regular-season players who turned into postseason ghosts.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
5 May 2025
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Other fake executive orders included pardoning author J.K. Rowling and outlawing ghosts.—
Lauren Irwin,
The Hill,
4 May 2025
Verb
-
The goal of strengthening Washington’s presence should be to reassure partners that U.S. pressure is designed to create stronger alliances, not to pave the way for abandonment, as well as to ensure that resisting China is viable for countries that are frightened by Beijing.—
A. Wess Mitchell,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
-
The American Declaration of Independence and Constitution frightened monarchies and despots around the world without a single bullet or gunboat.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In a display of brute aggression, cartel operatives humiliated Mexican officials by forcing the government to release Mr. Guzmán López shortly after he was captured.—
Alan Feuer,
New York Times,
7 May 2025
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For five seasons, Queen Latifah has been keeping the streets safe as former CIA operative Robyn McCall on The Equalizer — but her character's story has officially concluded.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
5 May 2025
Noun
-
As the music plays, apparitions of shamans and African tribal dancers begin to mingle with the crowd.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
19 Apr. 2025
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But Evan Mobley fills those margins with his apparitions of length.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Start to say no to distractions that do not serve your higher purpose, and start saying yes to the things that challenge you, stretch you and even scare you a little.—
Melissa Sierra,
Forbes.com,
7 May 2025
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What scares and excites you about where AI is headed for the next generation of artists?—
Lily Marks,
Time,
5 May 2025
Noun
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This solution integrates contact centers with operational systems, enabling both self-service and live agent support across channels like voice, chat, and SMS.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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The team also included A.R.G.U.S. agent John Economos (Steve Agee) of the Belle Reve Penitentiary, National Security Agency agent and former Waller aide Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), and new team member Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks).—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2025
Noun
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Thousands of cheering, carol-singing fans will be sure to lift his spirits.—
Breanne L. Heldman,
People.com,
9 May 2025
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And even if Grandma can't be at a family gathering in person, her spirit lives on through her recipes.—
Mary Alice Russell,
Southern Living,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spook. Accessed 16 May. 2025.
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