as in scaring
to strike with fear
the sudden noise spooked her out of her skin
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Recent Examples of spooking
Constellation Brands, the beers’ parent company, warned in April that the president’s deportation push was spooking Latino customers and hurting beer sales.
—
Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
In 2022, the British prime minister backed a mini-budget featuring a raft of unfunded fiscal stimulus, spooking the City to the extent that the pound spiraled to its lowest value ever against the dollar.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025
The American dream for Orsted , one of the world’s largest developers of offshore wind farms, appears to have turned into a nightmare, spooking investors and casting a shadow over the renewable energy market.
—Ganesh Rao, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
Food Network is spooking up its programming with the return of Halloween Wars and Halloween Baking Championship.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025
The paranormal phenomena spooking Spongebob and Squidward has a mundane explanation, but the entity flickering the lights turns out to be none other than Nosferatu, who reassures them with a terrifying smile; amusingly, Spongebob and Squidward are relieved to see him.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Trade war looms Overseas shipments this year have represented a rare bright spot in the Chinese economy, with domestic spending mired in a slump and persistent woes in the property sector spooking investors.
—Peter Catterall, Fortune Asia, 10 Dec. 2024
The large character begins sniffing at the camera, as though sniffing at the viewer, spooking Rodney.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024
European luxury brands may have painted themselves into a corner by dramatically raising prices in recent years, spooking aspirational customers — and testing the resolve of devoted clients.
—Miles Socha, WWD, 25 Nov. 2024
Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
In 2022, the British prime minister backed a mini-budget featuring a raft of unfunded fiscal stimulus, spooking the City to the extent that the pound spiraled to its lowest value ever against the dollar.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025
The American dream for Orsted , one of the world’s largest developers of offshore wind farms, appears to have turned into a nightmare, spooking investors and casting a shadow over the renewable energy market.
—Ganesh Rao, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
Food Network is spooking up its programming with the return of Halloween Wars and Halloween Baking Championship.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025
The paranormal phenomena spooking Spongebob and Squidward has a mundane explanation, but the entity flickering the lights turns out to be none other than Nosferatu, who reassures them with a terrifying smile; amusingly, Spongebob and Squidward are relieved to see him.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Trade war looms Overseas shipments this year have represented a rare bright spot in the Chinese economy, with domestic spending mired in a slump and persistent woes in the property sector spooking investors.
—Peter Catterall, Fortune Asia, 10 Dec. 2024
The large character begins sniffing at the camera, as though sniffing at the viewer, spooking Rodney.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024
European luxury brands may have painted themselves into a corner by dramatically raising prices in recent years, spooking aspirational customers — and testing the resolve of devoted clients.
—Miles Socha, WWD, 25 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooking
Verb
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The modus operandi generally involved either scaring a convenience store owner and fleeing with thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes, like one such incident at a 7-Eleven in Walnut Creek where masked men stole $8,000 in tobacco products, authorities said.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
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During today’s announcement, Kennedy at least acknowledged the trade-offs inherent in scaring pregnant Americans off Tylenol, and allowed that, sometimes, using it is unavoidable.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Instances of swatting have been plaguing the nation for years, with fake shooting threats frightening the public and forcing schools, hospitals, grocery stores, office buildings, and airports into temporary lockdowns.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The game is twisted, disturbing, and terrifying in all the right ways.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
23 Sep. 2025
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On the same day, 100 cyclists, e-bike and dirt bike riders took over a Boston highway, terrifying local drivers.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In a follow-up video, the owner revealed a gentle method for waking the puppy without startling her.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spooking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooking. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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