as in demons
an evil spirit
in Arabic folklore, ghouls could change their shapes but had one unchanging feature: donkey's hooves for feet
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Recent Examples of ghouls
The little ghouls at your party will howl for this tropical smoothie.
—
Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Aug. 2025
But according to Jason, his dad had some notes about the film’s inclusion of some of the ghouls from the 1984 original.
—John Russell, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Monstrous ghouls cheering after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on Wednesday are ubiquitous on social media.
—Dominic Pino, National Review, 5 Dec. 2024
In Fallout, ghouls have extended lifespans and are impervious to things that would kill humans, like losing a limb or eating rotten flesh.
—Jason Fields, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
With her husband’s cooperation, a coven of Devil-worshipping ghouls occupy an Upper West Side apartment building and conspire to have a young woman Rosemary (Mia Farrow) raped and impregnated by Satan himself.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2024
In the movie, Evan and Tim evade Max and his evil legion’s efforts to make them into literal corporate ghouls by teaming up with security guard Frank (Marshall Givens).
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 18 Oct. 2024
With roots stretching back to the ancient Pagan festival of Samhain (pronounced SAH-win), when the barrier between the worlds of the living and dead was believed to be at its thinnest, Halloween—with its ghosts, ghouls, witches and werewolves—has captured our imaginations for centuries.
—Matt Ralphs, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2024
The malevolent forces of the world hide there; the ghouls who give us nightmares and ill omens and bad luck.
—Caitlin Penzeymoog, Vox, 7 Oct. 2024
Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Aug. 2025
But according to Jason, his dad had some notes about the film’s inclusion of some of the ghouls from the 1984 original.
—John Russell, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Monstrous ghouls cheering after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on Wednesday are ubiquitous on social media.
—Dominic Pino, National Review, 5 Dec. 2024
In Fallout, ghouls have extended lifespans and are impervious to things that would kill humans, like losing a limb or eating rotten flesh.
—Jason Fields, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
With her husband’s cooperation, a coven of Devil-worshipping ghouls occupy an Upper West Side apartment building and conspire to have a young woman Rosemary (Mia Farrow) raped and impregnated by Satan himself.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2024
In the movie, Evan and Tim evade Max and his evil legion’s efforts to make them into literal corporate ghouls by teaming up with security guard Frank (Marshall Givens).
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 18 Oct. 2024
With roots stretching back to the ancient Pagan festival of Samhain (pronounced SAH-win), when the barrier between the worlds of the living and dead was believed to be at its thinnest, Halloween—with its ghosts, ghouls, witches and werewolves—has captured our imaginations for centuries.
—Matt Ralphs, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2024
The malevolent forces of the world hide there; the ghouls who give us nightmares and ill omens and bad luck.
—Caitlin Penzeymoog, Vox, 7 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghouls
Noun
-
But behind this battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy that forces them to face off against each other and the demons of their past.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Having been beaten by Iga Świątek in a historically dominant fashion in the Wimbledon final, Anisimova banished some of those demons by beating the Polish star in the quarterfinals to advance to the final four.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The thrill of talking to ghosts is intoxicating at first, until one of them pushes things too far and invites something sinister into their lives.—
Emy LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Not ghosts, not demons, not Nun, not even Nun II.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Weapons seems to break such cycles, leaving no more devils hiding in basements or upstairs bedrooms playing with dolls or ribbons of hair.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ghouls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghouls. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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