1
as in spy
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
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2
as in ghost
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 to frighten
to strike with fear
the sudden noise spooked her out of her skin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spook
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 14 July 2024
Read on for what the cosmos have in store for your zodiac sign this Halloween amid Scorpio season, according to PEOPLE's resident astrologer Kyle Thomas
Comments
There's a spook in the stars!
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024
The Hill, 27 Nov. 2024
Baldoni and Wayfarer apparently got spooked that their behavior would come back to bite them.
—Nicole Page, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for spook 
Noun
But Fly Me to the Moon barely develops its lead characters, played by Johansson and Channing Tatum, so what chance does Harrelson have in playing anything more than a one-dimensional spook?
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 14 July 2024
Read on for what the cosmos have in store for your zodiac sign this Halloween amid Scorpio season, according to PEOPLE's resident astrologer Kyle Thomas
Comments
There's a spook in the stars!
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
Trump’s massive tariffs spook Justin Trudeau; Mexico vows defiance
Robby Soave and Niall Stanage react to President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China.
—The Hill, 27 Nov. 2024
Baldoni and Wayfarer apparently got spooked that their behavior would come back to bite them.
—Nicole Page, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for spook
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spook
Noun
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Until this week, the talks loomed as the major unfulfilled mission, or even failure, of his time leading the spy agency.—
Julian E. Barnes,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2025
-
The movie stars Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx as Emily and Matt, a pair of former CIA spies who traded their lives as operatives to start a family.—
Francesca Gariano,
People.com,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Hollywood’s ghosts fill Lynch’s work, and so does its muck and its filth.—
Manohla Dargis,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Scenes unfold in extended, impulsively mobile shots, which create the impression of a ghost who is no mere passive observer but an alert and active mind.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Where another artist might rely on grotesque specifics to frighten the reader, Mignola’s insinuating expanses of black ink conceal all but the most necessary details of a rich and malevolent world, filled with monstrosities, yes, but also oddities, many of them delightful.—
Sam Thielman,
New York Times,
20 Jan. 2025
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As the devastating wildfires began to sweep across Los Angeles on Jan. 7, frightened residents were not turning to Netflix.—
Stephen Battaglio,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Many of those operatives were never really on board with the strategy of ditching governance in Gaza and turning to guerrilla combat.—
Hussein Ibish,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2025
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That would mark a significant comeback, 15 years after many of the C.I.A.’s operatives in China were caught, and some executed.—
Julian E. Barnes,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
There’s a kind of Gothic quality to the apparitions, calling to mind Edward Gorey figures, but all smeared and melted and smudged.—
Alissa Wilkinson,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2025
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There have been no sightings, no fleeting apparitions.—
David Ornstein,
The Athletic,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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All these precautions are not meant to scare people, Tetro and Gerba said, but to inform.—
Melanie Radzicki McManus,
CNN,
25 Jan. 2025
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Because these WMAs are designed to provide two conflicting services — to maintain wildlife habitat and to offer recreation, including hunting opportunities that may scare the birds away — no one really knows how the resident geese perceive the situation.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Even though Joel Wolfe, Sasaki's agent, has been trying to dispel that notion since at least November, he was asked to address it again Wednesday at Sasaki's introductory press conference in Los Angeles.—
Raul A. Reyes,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
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The Trump administration’s Tuesday announcement that federal immigration agents would not face limits on arrests at or near sensitive locations — which alongside schools, also covers hospitals and houses of worship — undid over a decade of precedent, including Trump’s first four years in office.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The spirit of pop from all three cities has made its way into its DNA.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
21 Jan. 2025
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Nordic sweaters were everywhere over the first festival weekend, as patrons got into the spirit of things.—
David Allen Jenn Ackerman,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near spook
Cite this Entry
“Spook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spook. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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