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
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 spooks
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
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
-
We were supposed to be spies with hats.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The events occurred in and around the lawless border of Venezuela and Colombia, where spies, smugglers and gun runners rub shoulders and distrust their own shadow.—
Kevin G. Hall,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The 40th release, however, marks the first time the brand has ever released a tequila—an extra añejo blend put together by a leading name in the agave spirits industry.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Cushla’s world is full of defiant spirits, including her mother, a woman struggling with addiction who spends most of her days bound to her living room and the bottom of a bottle.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That’s something that scares me a little bit about not just theater, but people giving any opinions about any business.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Nov. 2025
-
From speculating that what scares people the most is anything natural (which can’t be emulated) to advising never listen to a designer, especially a man designer, Jacobs is direct.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Earle-Sears’s blowout even stunned veteran operatives accustomed to Virginia’s blue tilt.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Nov. 2025
-
A lot of these operatives are operating from civilian areas.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
These ghosts, which take the form of their dead friends, are mostly just goofy, with the shoddy special effects and glowy auras giving the whole thing a distinctly Haunted Mansion vibe; critically, the threat never feels real, which undermines any tension.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The ghosts of a 37-0 shutout to Iowa less than a month ago still lingered — the boos that faded into silence, the homecoming crowd that emptied before the fourth quarter, the scoreboard stuck on humiliation.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
What specifically frightens you?—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Polls show that economic impacts are driving the voting bloc the most and Latino businesses across the country, from Miami to Los Angeles, are seeing a drop in foot traffic because of ICE agents targeting their communities.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But in 1991, federal agents charged him with lying and continuing to traffic drugs.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Pulse is a ghost story, featuring two interwoven storylines about young Tokyoites who begin to see and hear strange apparitions flitting across their computer screens.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Throughout modern history, visitors have reported ghostly apparitions according to Scary Stories of Mammoth Cave.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spooks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooks. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share