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
But just before all the banshee wailing threatens to overwhelm proceedings, along comes a hypnotic tribal beat which briefly turns the wake into a party.
—
Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 13 May 2025
He’s been a banshee for us since he’s been with us on the two-way and has provided not just the attitude, the toughness on the court, but he’s played some really good basketball for us.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2025
Our ears are still ringing from watching fans become shrieking banshees upon realizing that one of her professional dancers was actually the NFL star.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024
Does that explain why the Banshee label doesn’t depict an actual banshee?
—Noel Burgess, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for banshee
Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 13 May 2025
He’s been a banshee for us since he’s been with us on the two-way and has provided not just the attitude, the toughness on the court, but he’s played some really good basketball for us.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2025
Our ears are still ringing from watching fans become shrieking banshees upon realizing that one of her professional dancers was actually the NFL star.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024
Does that explain why the Banshee label doesn’t depict an actual banshee?
—Noel Burgess, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for banshee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banshee
Noun
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Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are returning as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren who are trying to vanquish a demon from a family’s home.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
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The inevitable showdown between the demon, which manifests in various forms during the film, is wild and exhausting, and gives Wilson and Farmiga, as consistent and excellent as always throughout, a powerful performative and emotional last stand.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Science and magic, love, humour and phantoms.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
13 Aug. 2025
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Gesturing toward cinema’s roots in 19th-century phantom rides and panoramas, FELT finds a dynamic new form for the sensory experience of space and movement.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The little ghouls at your party will howl for this tropical smoothie.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Aug. 2025
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There are a lot of stock viewer-goosings: Screaming ghoul faces, crawling insects, waking nightmares and other jump scares, including the sonic kind of sudden loud noises or silences.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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All 500-year-old vampires will be able to watch Talamasca on their television sets in linear fashion on AMC.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
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In the two minute trailer (below), the death of someone close to a secret society charged with monitoring the world’s immortals, including witches and vampires, prompts the group to seek out a new recruit in the form of a young unsuspecting man, Guy Anatole (Nicholas Denton).—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Video footage recorded by their owner Macie Lamb shows two pups, Ace and Tango growling at a decorative object that resembles a small ceramic dog wearing a ghost costume while holding a pumpkin in its mouth.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
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But March’s family, which has seen their factory turned upside down by the ghost of a former employee, rejects the relationship.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Chen is the wraith-like heart of this story, but her character strains belief even in a shaky hand of a movie that operates with all the internal logic of a gambling addiction.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
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This is a pen that is both weighty and lighthearted – fitting for the home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, whose life of bonhomie and good cheer was disrupted by adventure and dragons and ring wraiths and war.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
Noun
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Ahead of the 500-year anniversary of the Virgin Mary’s apparition in Tepeyac, Mexico, the sculpture is embarking on a worldwide tour, with visits scheduled to Colombia, Puerto Rico and the Philippines, among other places.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Aug. 2025
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In Lockwood’s world, the apparition of a saint is not strictly strange.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But when the island’s prince is kidnapped, an unlikely alliance of an ogre, hag, wizard and fey will have only days to sneak around London to save him.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
30 Aug. 2025
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On the flipside is the hag: unattractive, withered and unpleasant.—
Chi Varnado,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Banshee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banshee. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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