spooked 1 of 2

spooked

2 of 2

verb

past tense of spook

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 spooked
Adjective
The movie has since become an unexplainable piece of comfort for a spooked generation. — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Know what would make Whitney less spooked? — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 June 2026 The Grammy Award-winning superstar took to Instagram to share her experience, which left her spooked and unable to sleep. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
Still, the internet has suggested the backlash has Amazon spooked. — Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 Yarmuth said Republicans were spooked about potential blowback. — Ben Wieder, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 Once you’re sufficiently spooked, check out the wineries, hiking trails, and restaurants, all located just a short drive from the property. — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 20 Oct. 2026 The call followed the release of solid financial results for the July-to-September quarter, though lower fourth-quarter and full-year guidance spooked investors and sent Netflix shares tumbling in after-hours trading. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026 That number spooked Wall Street, and shares dropped following the report. — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026 Rate-sensitive buyers getting spooked In Los Angeles, Brock and Lori Harris, a husband-and-wife real estate team, said buyers whose budgets are stretched by the prospect of higher mortgage payments have begun stepping back from the market. — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026 It’s spooked the worlds of corporate and art alike, especially after months of headlines over the potentially world-ending nature of AI models and warnings that progress needs to be paced. — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026 Firms in Riyadh were telling their employees to work from home tomorrow, and people have been spooked for weeks. — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooked
Adjective
  • Discovering that your identity has been stolen can leave you feeling angry, frightened and unsure where to begin.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • In one video, a young orangutan can be seen crouching in the corner of a small, dark crate, its frightened eyes wide open.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Then, after his shoulder injury scared off Miami, New Orleans landed a quarterback entering his prime.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Elmore says the bear eventually climbed down the side of the truck, and employees scared it away from the area.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Even after the attacker was restrained, passengers remained terrified.
    — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • This kind of conversation always leaves me half-amused, half-terrified.
    — Alicja Turczyk, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • However, startled by the activation of the security system, the suspect fled the scene without stealing any loot.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Their approach startled the predator, who took off with the mother godwit in its claws.
    — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Once again, Slow Horses isn’t afraid to acknowledge its heroes are in a terrible situation and will pay the price for it.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Fond of travel but afraid to fly, Pan would take longish vacations in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, or Mexico, sometimes accompanied by his nieces.
    — David Hajdu, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Gomez, 67, recalled, watching as responding officers pulled a horrified boy from the car.
    — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Greg O'Neill, 63, was swimming at Sorrento Beach in the northern suburbs of Perth in Western Australia on Friday when the attack happened in front of horrified beachgoers.
    — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Five months into the outbreak, health authorities remain alarmed.
    — Constant Same Bagalwa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • People who have a very high panic threshold nonetheless feel very alarmed by what’s happened.
    — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • When people hear of their upstairs-downstairs arrangement, no one is shocked.
    — Anne Kadet, Curbed, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Garret said the community as a whole was supportive of their decision to protest, even if their team was a little shocked at first.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Spooked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooked. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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