banshees

noun

plural of banshee
as in ghouls
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 banshees His bronc riders look more like pietàs in mud; his barrel racers scream like banshees on horseback. — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banshees
  1. ghouls
  2. demons
  3. phantoms
  4. vampires
  5. ghosts
  6. wraiths
  7. apparitions
  8. spirits
Noun
  • Gemma even winds up having to give a teeth cleaning to one of the silent, creepy ghouls pursuing her.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of ghouls
Noun
  • Starring Stuart Martin and Fra Free, The Last Photograph follows an ex-DEA agent seeking revenge in a South American jungle where dangerous terrain and inner demons combine for drama.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
  • And Elwood was battling his own demons, having become addicted to opioids prescribed after a hip operation.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of demons
Noun
  • 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
  • The two phantoms were designed to be adult females, since previous research found that breasts and ovaries are especially susceptible to radiation damage.
    — Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of phantoms
Noun
  • Her superpower had nothing to do with vampires and everything to do with her staggering talent.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Bedbugs are sometimes called the vampires of the insect world — hiding during the day and coming out at night to feast on human blood.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of vampires
Noun
  • Directed by Geum Dong-ho, the musical animation follows a singer-songwriter with the supernatural ability to see spirits who joins forces with a quartet of ghosts to form a musical troupe.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
  • To be eligible to play Power Four college sports now means to breathe; there are rumors that a group of ghosts from the 1907 Pitt Panthers is suing the NCAA to play another year.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of ghosts
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
  • The earliest depictions of slavery were already crawling with the terrible proceedings the Gothic tends to depict, from bloody whippings to family curses to the wrathful wraiths of the slain enslaved.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
Definition of wraiths
Noun
  • That is, until miraculous apparitions turn it into a place to be.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 July 2026
  • Today, the massive complex attracts paranormal investigators who report apparitions, voices, and other unexplained phenomena.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Definition of apparitions
Noun
  • Dolly Parton made her final public appearance just two months before her death at the age of 80 and was in good spirits at the time.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Alcoholic beverages Wine, beer, spirits, including whiskey, vodka, gin, are all impacted.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of spirits

Browse Nearby Words

banshee
banshees
bantam
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Cite this Entry

“Banshees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banshees. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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