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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poltergeist
Houses have always been haunted, but, whereas poltergeists of yore troubled the suburban idyll of white America, in these shows the scariest spectre is a disappearing profit margin.
—
Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Enraged, the spirit goes upstairs to his room and begins to cause poltergeist activity like breaking shelves, throwing objects and tearing down posters.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
The vocals are ghastly, like poltergeists speaking from the beyond, trying to convey some hazy message the mortals can’t decipher.
—Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
Does a person accept, say, poltergeists, but not extrasensory perception?
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for poltergeist
Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Enraged, the spirit goes upstairs to his room and begins to cause poltergeist activity like breaking shelves, throwing objects and tearing down posters.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
The vocals are ghastly, like poltergeists speaking from the beyond, trying to convey some hazy message the mortals can’t decipher.
—Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
Does a person accept, say, poltergeists, but not extrasensory perception?
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for poltergeist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poltergeist
Noun
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In the present, Belly whips the bracelet Jere brought her back from Cabo across the room and shuffles around campus like a ghost, seeing visions of him everywhere.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
16 July 2025
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Also, the fact that Ken gets cursed by a crazy old ghost actually helps Momo in her alien abduction predicament, with Momo’s newfound spiritual abilities helping to curb Ken’s curse.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
Noun
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If the humor clicks with you, there’s joy to be had in accidentally setting yourself on fire over and over again while being chased by a Slenderman-like apparition made of Post-Its.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
19 June 2025
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Venus reaches its point of greatest western elongation on June 1, at which time the dazzling 'morning star' will be at its most distant point from the sun in Earth's sky during its pre-dawn apparition.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
31 May 2025
Noun
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Nearby is also Saint Paul Mountain Farms, an orchard and vineyard producing local wines, hard ciders and spirits.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
20 July 2025
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Each meal service is also accompanied by a variety of premium wine and spirits as well as soft drinks.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
20 July 2025
Noun
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Joy Behar's militia of terroristic digital devices, aural phantoms followedThe View moderator back to her post and wasted no time making their presence known at the top of Monday's episode.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
7 July 2025
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Rubin hopes to tally these same sorts of deep-space particles, the kind that all of Earth is constantly microdosing, phantom starlight from the farthest reaches of the universe.—
Michael Jones McKean,
The Atlantic,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poltergeist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poltergeist. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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