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

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

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