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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Recent Examples of banshee
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
There aren’t songs with Chino screaming like a banshee, nor are there any overindulging atmospheric tracks.
—Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for banshee
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
There aren’t songs with Chino screaming like a banshee, nor are there any overindulging atmospheric tracks.
—Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for banshee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banshee
Noun
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The demon was largely limited to one expression — smugness — and was inexplicably the only character who spoke Japanese.—
Corbin Bolies,
Variety,
10 June 2026
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Still, 51-year-old Rhys didn’t take Nile’s demons or Tom’s supernatural burden home.—
Emma Fraser,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Noun
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That’s the £312 million phantom.—
Maman Ibrahim,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
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Such a designation, evidently, would save agents from wasting time chasing phantoms.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Night of the Living Dead centers all the action at a farmhouse, where seven people attempt to ward off the ghouls — without any prior knowledge of how to do so.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
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Jittery housemaid Miss Lamb (Thomasin McKenzie) proves less trouble to manage, as Fred scares the wits out of her with bogus talk of a ghoul wandering the Moors.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Noun
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The fight makes its way to the penthouse, exposing Lestat as a real live vampire to his bandmates, who, up until now, thought the vampire thing was an elaborate bit.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
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Who knew vampires made such a good metaphor for America’s worst excesses?—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Noun
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The ghost called Sidhangana, who acts as chorus, is the rainbow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
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The series was an anthology hosted by the titular Frankelda, the ghost of an aspiring horror writer, who told stories about children encountering the paranormal.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
28 May 2026
Noun
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The score by Joseph Bishara is shivery with chorales that moan like wraiths in the wind.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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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
Noun
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Venus, on the other hand, reaches its highest altitude in the western evening twilight during June for this current apparition and captures the gaze of millions.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
5 June 2026
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That late-game run––forty-four points to the Cavs’ eleven––was as soul-crushing to Cleveland as the apparition of Willis Reed, hobbling to center court, had been to the Lakers fifty-six years ago.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
Noun
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Grotesque sea hags, killer clowns, demonic self-help books and more plague the town and its mayor, Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys).—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2026
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And nor are any of the spooky figures, which range from 1950s housewives to toothless hags.—
The Week,
TheWeek,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Banshee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banshee. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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