as in ghost
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
we thought a poltergeist was knocking dishes off the shelves, but it turned out to just be vibrations from passing trains
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poltergeist
Enraged, the spirit goes upstairs to his room and begins to cause poltergeist activity like breaking shelves, throwing objects and tearing down posters.
—
Keith Langston, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
The vocals are ghastly, like poltergeists speaking from the beyond, trying to convey some hazy message the mortals can’t decipher.
—Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
Does a person accept, say, poltergeists, but not extrasensory perception?
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024
The poltergeist feature from director Craig Johnson (The Skeleton Twins) is set to begin streaming via Max on March 13.
—Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for poltergeist
Keith Langston, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
The vocals are ghastly, like poltergeists speaking from the beyond, trying to convey some hazy message the mortals can’t decipher.
—Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
Does a person accept, say, poltergeists, but not extrasensory perception?
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024
The poltergeist feature from director Craig Johnson (The Skeleton Twins) is set to begin streaming via Max on March 13.
—Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for poltergeist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poltergeist
Noun
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Instead, his presence is more like a ghost (literally at times), and a wedge between these two sisters.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
30 May 2025
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Nicole Ari Parker in And Just Like That Season 3 Craig Blankenhorn—Max Carrie’s ghosts must have stayed behind at the old apartment.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
28 May 2025
Noun
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At the very end of Season 1, Peacemaker appears to be seeing and hearing his father's apparition; presumably Patrick will continue in that capacity and/or in flashbacks.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
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As the music plays, apparitions of shamans and African tribal dancers begin to mingle with the crowd.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This workaround defeats the spirit of the deferral rules.—
Andre Pennington,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
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Balan’s Manjulika, a 19th century royal court dancer who returns as an unforgiving spirit to avenge her murder, strikes a balance between fragility and fury.—
Sunil Sadarangani,
Deadline,
20 May 2025
Noun
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Ray is an enigma and a mystery, a man who zips into town on a motorbike like a phantom and could just as easily evaporate at any minute.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
18 May 2025
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Season 4 continued to expand the paranormal world of Ghosts, with the funny phantoms developing new powers, the introduction of even more specters roaming the Woodstone grounds — and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar), finally able to see the ghosts his wife, Sam (Rose McIver) is always speaking with.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poltergeist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poltergeist. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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