1
as in spies
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country
Russia recalled its spooks after the collapse of the Soviet Union
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in spirits
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
Halloween is the night when spooks and goblins are said to roam abroad
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in scares
to strike with fear
the sudden noise spooked her out of her skin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spooks
Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield are iconic characters that are wonderfully resurrected in this remake, the spooks are top notch, and the whole thing looks, sounds, and plays unbelievably.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooks
Noun
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This approach sparks a heated debate about proper justice, leading to the revelation of other secret desires between the two spies.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Gary Oldman stars as the curmudgeonly Jackson Lamb, who leads MI5, a unit full of low-level spies that includes Jack Lowden’s River Cartwright.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On select dates, the pop-up offers a unique drink-and-tattoo experience, as well as live tarot readings ready to reveal what the spirits have in store.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
1 Oct. 2025
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The pair was in good spirits during the season 8 reunion, with Daniel flaunting a tattoo of Taylor's eyes on his chest that's equal parts romantic and upsetting.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There’s something about kidnapping that scares the fear out of you, Goldberg-Polin says.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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While the odor scares lots of people off, there are ways to minimize it.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Privately, political operatives from both sides concede that government shutdowns are bad for both parties.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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Once the candidate is defined with a platform backfilled with extensive details, then allow the political operatives to take that platform out into social media with an out-of-the-box approach like some of the earlier suggestions.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ha-Ha-Halloween Song If your toddler is still a tad freaked out by all the skeletons and ghosts appearing around their neighborhood in the form of creepy decorations, and the prospect of dressing up just doesn’t sound appealing, CoComelon can help.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
3 Oct. 2025
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Every room has had an account of ghosts or spirits but certain rooms are consistently haunted.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Within my book, one of the things that frightens me most is the fact that with censorship, there’s often not a clear red line, right?—
Fiction Non Fiction
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
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What specifically frightens you?—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Apple and Google on Thursday removed apps that alert people when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are nearby following pressure from Attorney General Pam Bondi.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
3 Oct. 2025
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There will also be panels with Gersh agents talking about the art of representation and a panel with longtime James Bond screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Forced to participate in increasingly macabre rituals and tests, Giacomo is consumed by the sinister — as apparitions, ghosts and deadly rumors start to accumulate.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
30 Sep. 2025
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Forced to participate in increasingly macabre rituals and tests, Giacomo is consumed by the sinister — as apparitions, ghosts and deadly rumors start to accumulate.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spooks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooks. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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