banshee

noun

Definition of bansheenext
as in demon
a female spirit in Irish and Scottish stories who cries loudly to warn people that someone is going to die soon claimed to have heard the terrifying wail of a banshee

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of banshee The bond between a rider and their banshee doesn't break, and chances are your bond with this two-figure set won't either. — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2025 Then, like an alarm clock, howler monkeys unleashed their banshee shriek, staking their territory as the sun rose. — Ryan Knighton, AFAR Media, 31 Oct. 2025 His bronc riders look more like pietàs in mud; his barrel racers scream like banshees on horseback. — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025 Temperance let loose a banshee wail. — Charna Flam, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for banshee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banshee
  1. demon
  2. phantom
  3. ghoul
  4. vampire
  5. ghost
  6. wraith
  7. apparition
  8. hag
Noun
  • Kirby Smart is hoping to exorcise some of the Crimson Tide demons that have followed him during his time as the Bulldogs head coach.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • What started as a kitschy vessel for zhuzhing up morning matchas and sleepytime mocktails has expanded into the (albeit photogenic) demon of drinkware.
    — Francesca Krempa, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of demon
Noun
  • Fadal brought up her own phantom smells during a recent podcast conversation with Andrea Donsky, a nutritionist who’s written about and conducted research on this symptom.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Both phantoms were packed with thousands of dosimeters, tracking radiation dose over specific phases of the flight rather than just a cumulative total.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of phantom
Noun
  • No ghosts, ghouls, or demons here, just the evil things that greed makes people do, at least until the little guy starts fighting back.
    — Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Next week, find out how monsters, ghouls and slashers can also mean big bucks.
    — Ayesha Rascoe, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of ghoul
Noun
  • After last Thursday’s pilot, their family is about to get a little bigger now that Emma’s boyfriend Max (Jaren Lewison) is also a vampire.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • This represents the first time astronomers have seen a low-mass star acting as a stellar vampire, stealing material from a low-mass stellar companion.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of vampire
Noun
  • With Abi away overseas, Firman disappears, and Gadis and a motley band of ghosts help Indah look for him.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Both will star as the central con-artist ghost hunters who stumble upon a real ghost during one of their scams.
    — Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of ghost
Noun
  • There’s not a single shot of a healthy human being in the movie, only wraiths filmed in sickly shades of pink, red and blue.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Pilots can see bad weather lurking in the distance hours before takeoff, glowing like a wraith on their digital maps.
    — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Definition of wraith
Noun
  • One is Eye Witness (1987), a wintry landscape of two figures who seem to look away from an apparition of sorts; a skyscraper in the distance bears a resemblance to the Empire State Building.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • For evening observers, this apparition has been more frustrating than triumphant, with Venus lingering low in the glow of twilight instead of climbing into a commanding position.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of apparition
Noun
  • The sea hag in Widow’s Bay, by contrast, is a monstrous cross between Samara from The Ring, the entity from It Follows, and the lady in the bathtub from The Shining.
    — Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The cast are clustered around a table of props and despite her disappointment at the lack of hag wigs, Dale Dickey is flapping a fishing net like a seafaring matador.
    — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of hag

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“Banshee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banshee. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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