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
  • But Jesus eventually heals the man and casts the demons into a herd of pigs, which tumble over a cliff and drown.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Whether the Ohio Derby victor can pull off a letter-perfect speed-demon upset remains Chip Honcho’s question.
    — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of demon
Noun
  • Left behind are her great-grandmother’s haunting journals detailing the story of her own phantom, and subsequently, her brutal murder.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 25 July 2026
  • That’s the £312 million phantom.
    — Maman Ibrahim, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Definition of phantom
Noun
  • 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
  • As boss-man turns into a cantering, slavering, apparently all-over treble-jointed ghoul, Young-cheol announces that his own living blood contains the only antidote.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 29 May 2026
Definition of ghoul
Noun
  • As the villains, Jamie Foxx and Dane DeHaan are trapped in Z-movie outfits and motivations — Foxx’s Max Diillon is a Spidey fan transformed by an eel attack, DeHaan’s Harry Osborn is basically a vampire.
    — Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Aug. 2026
  • In the somewhat convoluted progress of Mitchell’s script, their ego war is eventually eclipsed by fears there’s a genuine murderer on the loose — perhaps even an actual vampire.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 July 2026
Definition of vampire
Noun
  • Wade Barrett called Rollins the historical ghost who has haunted Roman Reigns for years.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • There’s one shaped like a hand grenade; another bears a white-sheet-ghost novelty trinket over the lid, denoting a ghost pepper sauce.
    — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of ghost
Noun
  • The score by Joseph Bishara is shivery with chorales that moan like wraiths in the wind.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 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
  • That is, until miraculous apparitions turn it into a place to be.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 July 2026
  • The music starts to shift beginning with the third episode, when Lestat becomes overwhelmed by the apparition of his abusive maker and other ghosts, including Claudia, whose killing he’d been forced to witness firsthand.
    — Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
Definition of apparition
Noun
  • Pinned beneath her rotting legs in his recliner chair, Loftis narrowly escapes by yanking its lever, catapulting the hag over his head.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026
  • They're also known as hag moth caterpillars.
    — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 20 June 2026
Definition of hag

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Cite this Entry

“Banshee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banshee. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on banshee

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about banshee

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