as in ghost
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
we thought a poltergeist was knocking dishes off the shelves, but it turned out to just be vibrations from passing trains
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Recent Examples of poltergeist
There are newspaper clippings, from the 1950s through to the 2000s, concerning ghost sightings, or reports of poltergeists in market towns or children who appear to possess uncanny extrasensory powers.
—
Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Ghostwatch is truly one of a kind, a ghost story disguised as a live news broadcast in which reporters chronicle a family supposedly being haunted by a poltergeist.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Set in the late 1970s, sees Ed and Lorraine Warren head to a council house in Enfield, North London, where a single mother and her four children are being plagued by what appears to be a poltergeist.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The Warrens are also famous for their investigation of a haunted house in Amityville, NY, and the 1980s Connecticut poltergeist case based on a Warren case, in which demonic possession was used unsuccessfully as a defense in a murder trial.
—Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poltergeist
Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Ghostwatch is truly one of a kind, a ghost story disguised as a live news broadcast in which reporters chronicle a family supposedly being haunted by a poltergeist.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Set in the late 1970s, sees Ed and Lorraine Warren head to a council house in Enfield, North London, where a single mother and her four children are being plagued by what appears to be a poltergeist.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The Warrens are also famous for their investigation of a haunted house in Amityville, NY, and the 1980s Connecticut poltergeist case based on a Warren case, in which demonic possession was used unsuccessfully as a defense in a murder trial.
—Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poltergeist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poltergeist
Noun
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Money was counted daily, spoken of incessantly, felt in its paucity like a ghost in each room.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
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That doesn’t mean the ghosts here aren’t scary.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Those themes are alive here, as the ghosts who visit Depp’s Scrooge are intricate, terrifying apparitions not suitable for the whole family.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
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But he’s journeyed to Lourdes and Our Lady of Guadalupe, both of which the Vatican has officially recognized as supernatural Marian apparitions.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The days of the secluded mathematician chalking up a blackboard have largely given way to a collaborative spirit as math has become increasingly technical.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2026
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Customized services from the building’s concierge available to all include events such as wine and spirits tastings that will bring neighbors together.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poltergeist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poltergeist. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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