spooked; spooking; spooks
1
2
: to make frightened or frantic : scare
especially
: to startle into violent activity (such as stampeding)
: to become spooked
cattle spooking at shadows
Synonyms
Examples of spook in a Sentence
Noun
Russia recalled its spooks after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Halloween is the night when spooks and goblins are said to roam abroad.
Verb
The noise spooked the cat.
The little girl was spooked by scary masks.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jené Luciani Sena, Fox News, 25 Oct. 2023
While Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees may be the holiday’s unofficial mascots, there are plenty of films with just enough spook and thrill for kids to enjoy.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 20 Oct. 2023
Taylor Swift, government spooks, and art In late 2022, Mullenweg tweeted that Tumblr app downloads were up 57–58 percent on iOS and Android.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 9 Nov. 2023
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 4 Seasonal Sweets Skip the spooks on a dessert buffet and make a sweet fall floral display surrounded by mini pumpkins instead.
—Alyssa Longobucco, House Beautiful, 31 July 2023
And for those truly looking for a spook, stay overnight at the Tarrytown House Estate, believed to have rooms haunted by ghosts.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2023
Why does her benign response to a throwaway sentiment about old age spook like a damning confession?
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Aug. 2023
Another source of spooks at the hotel, according to Bagans, stems from the Central School.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 15 July 2023
These mischievous, occasionally demonic, spooks of traditional Japanese folklore are known collectively as yokai.
—Hikari Hida, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2023
Mallory Moench, TIME, 7 Apr. 2024
Wall Street was spooked by economic data from the prior week showing that price pressures persisted in February and consumer spending surged that month.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
The late alarm only spooked those who had long since realized an earthquake had rattled their homes.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
The horse ended up stuck in the river after getting spooked while on a ride with its owner Saturday night.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
In 2022, the British MP backed a mini-budget featuring a raft of fiscal stimulus, spooking the City to the extent that the pound spiraled to its lowest value ever against the dollar.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2024
Those price cuts narrowed the company’s profit margins and spooked investors.
—Tom Krisher, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
BioNTech is having its Pfizer moment Just as Pfizer spooked Wall Street after its record pandemic revenue came parabolically back to earth, BioNTech, the company’s Covid-19 vaccine partner, is now dealing with investor malaise of its own.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 21 Mar. 2024
The lack of moderation has led to a mass exodus of advertisers spooked by the likelihood of their brand name appearing next to hateful and extremist material — not to mention Musk’s penchant for far-right conspiracy theories.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2024
Noun
Here are five ideas for getting your spook on for All Hallows Eve this year.
—Jené Luciani Sena, Fox News, 25 Oct. 2023
While Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees may be the holiday’s unofficial mascots, there are plenty of films with just enough spook and thrill for kids to enjoy.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 20 Oct. 2023
Taylor Swift, government spooks, and art In late 2022, Mullenweg tweeted that Tumblr app downloads were up 57–58 percent on iOS and Android.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 9 Nov. 2023
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 4 Seasonal Sweets Skip the spooks on a dessert buffet and make a sweet fall floral display surrounded by mini pumpkins instead.
—Alyssa Longobucco, House Beautiful, 31 July 2023
And for those truly looking for a spook, stay overnight at the Tarrytown House Estate, believed to have rooms haunted by ghosts.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2023
Why does her benign response to a throwaway sentiment about old age spook like a damning confession?
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Aug. 2023
Another source of spooks at the hotel, according to Bagans, stems from the Central School.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 15 July 2023
These mischievous, occasionally demonic, spooks of traditional Japanese folklore are known collectively as yokai.
—Hikari Hida, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2023
Verb
Some animals may spook, be more on edge, and potentially group together, while others might not react at all.
—Mallory Moench, TIME, 7 Apr. 2024
Wall Street was spooked by economic data from the prior week showing that price pressures persisted in February and consumer spending surged that month.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
The late alarm only spooked those who had long since realized an earthquake had rattled their homes.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
The horse ended up stuck in the river after getting spooked while on a ride with its owner Saturday night.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
In 2022, the British MP backed a mini-budget featuring a raft of fiscal stimulus, spooking the City to the extent that the pound spiraled to its lowest value ever against the dollar.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2024
Those price cuts narrowed the company’s profit margins and spooked investors.
—Tom Krisher, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
BioNTech is having its Pfizer moment Just as Pfizer spooked Wall Street after its record pandemic revenue came parabolically back to earth, BioNTech, the company’s Covid-19 vaccine partner, is now dealing with investor malaise of its own.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 21 Mar. 2024
The lack of moderation has led to a mass exodus of advertisers spooked by the likelihood of their brand name appearing next to hateful and extremist material — not to mention Musk’s penchant for far-right conspiracy theories.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spook.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near spook
Cite this Entry
“Spook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spook. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spook
1 of 2 nounspook
2 of 2 verb
: to make or become frightened : scare
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