Synonyms of spooks

spooks 1 of 2

noun

plural of spook

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

• spies
• operatives
• agents
• assets
• informers
• moles
• undercover agents
• secret agents
• emissaries
• undercovers
• intelligencers
• couriers
• sleepers
• infiltrators
• counterspies
• double agents
• stool pigeons
• spymasters
• superspies

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

• spirits
• ghosts
• apparitions
• shadows
• haunts
• phantoms
• specters
• poltergeists
• visions
• wraiths
• vampires
• phantasms
• demons
• materializations
• zombies
• familiar spirits
• hants
• sprites
• angels
• visitants
• shades
• bogeys
• ghouls
• familiars
• genies
• jinn
• daimones
• doubles
• fetches
• manes
• doppelgängers
• imps
• geniuses
• devils
• succubi
• incubi
• lemures
• shaitans
• fiends
• cacodemons
• lamiae

spooks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of spook

as in scares

to strike with fear

the sudden noise spooked her out of her skin

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scares
• frightens
• terrifies
• startles
• shocks
• frights
• terrorizes
• horrifies
• panics
• shakes
• alarms
• affrights
• scarifies
• gives one the creeps
• worries
• amazes
• appalls
• makes one's flesh creep
• distracts
• jolts
• dismays
• shakes up
• bowls over
• awes
• unsettles
• astounds
• unnerves
• daunts
• disquiets
• disturbs
• disconcerts
• dispirits
• floors
• upsets
• emasculates
• distresses
• psychs (out)
• chills
• unstrings
• demoralizes
• unmans
• perturbs
• discomposes
• discomforts
• undoes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reassures
• assures
• cheers
• comforts
• consoles
• soothes
• encourages
• inspires
• solaces
• steels
• emboldens
• heartens

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of spooks

Noun

In general, most experts agree that for a foreign vote-changing scheme to work, spooks would have to get physical access to the casting and counting systems used in thousands of different locations scattered around the country. — Philip Elliott, Time, 17 July 2026

Something about the appearance of a full moon spooks Dashing, who claims to head off in search of a dangerous werewolf (a claim that later proves to be at least half true). — Tanya Sharma, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026

Portofiro and the baroque universe surrounding it—communists on-world, techno-fascists offplanet, and all manner of augmentoids and spooks in the immaterial planes between—can make for a dizzying read. — Alex James Kane, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

Remember that movement spooks turkeys more than anything else. — Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026

Anthropic spooks cyber firms; eyes IPO. — John Kell, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026

The translation squeaks and spooks with imagery of haunts and death. — Amber McBride, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025

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

Verb

That confidence spooks your rivals! — Usa Today, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025