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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of spooks
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
There are even more spooks in the follow-up season, The Haunting of Bly Manor.
—Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 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
Usa Today, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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
There are even more spooks in the follow-up season, The Haunting of Bly Manor.
—Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooks
Noun
-
Despite the summer heat, the windows were often closed to keep out horseflies and the long ears of loyalist spies, so the air inside was stifling and pungent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
-
According to the ministry, foreign spies are infiltrating everything from mapping apps to weather stations.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Activist spirits might dismiss this emphasis on the purely sonic as a strategy of avoidance, although the likes of Feizabadi and Kourliandski can’t be accused of sitting idly by.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
There are flavored vodkas like strawberry and blueberry, agave spirits and gin.—
Emily M. Olson,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The public scares me, mobs scare me.—
Liz McNeil,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
-
That's what scares people who spoke with CBS News Baltimore.—
Ashley Paul,
CBS News,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal and Eiza González star in the film about a team of elite operatives on an impossible mission.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 May 2026
-
Republican Kandiss Taylor has filed to run for the seat, but her past political runs have led operatives to rule her out as a serious candidate.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
What is Wuthering Heights without ghosts?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
His journey will unravel past ghosts and future misdeeds.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
But the future Hall of Famer is coming off ACL surgery, might lack mobility, and has a receiving corps that frightens nobody.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
15 May 2026
-
The piercing sunlight frightens her.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The company specializes in using advanced artificial intelligence, including specialized agents and Large Language Models, to automate contract authoring, negotiation, and risk management.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
-
What the agents can’t do in many fields is make judgment calls using the insight that comes from on-the-job experience, according to labor experts.—
Victor Swezey,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The museum site has been a paranormal hotbed for decades, with sightings of apparitions, security camera footage capturing items flying off shelves, as well as experiences from staff members and visitors.—
Gregory Harutunian,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
There certainly seem to be apparitions in this music, some presence apart from the four musicians and the throngs of fans, which is intensified by the visceral collision of so many sounds.—
Stephen M. Deusner,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spooks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooks. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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