Spook

/spuːk/ · noun

Meaning

(informal) A ghost or phantom..

Definitions by Sense

1. (informal) A ghost or phantom.
2. A hobgoblin.
3. (informal) A scare or fright.
4. (espionage, slang) An undercover agent, spy, or intelligence analyst.
5. (slang, dated, offensive, ethnic slur) A black person.
6. (philosophy) A metaphysical manifestation; an artificial distinction or construct.
7. (US, slang, medicine) A psychiatrist.
8. (slang, gambling) A player who engages in hole carding by attempting to glimpse the dealer's hole card when the dealer checks under an ace or a 10 to see if a blackjack is present.

Example Sentences

The building was haunted by a couple of spooks.

"I'll say what I think, no more and no less, and I won't be scared by you or your spooks into altering my opinions."

The big spider gave me a spook.

From Ian Fleming to John Le Carre - authors have long been fascinated by the world of espionage. But, asks the BBC’s Gordon Corera, what do real life spooks make of fictional spies?

The congressional study frets that Huawei’s and ZTE’s products could be used as Trojan horses by Chinese spooks.

The hard right is on the march in Europe. The Alternative for Germany, a party declared extremist by domestic spooks, scored a record result in a national election in February.

Some won't take spooks—hell, don't make no difference to me.

"[…] Dryades Street and that whole uptown neighborhood is gonna be worth a fortune once the white people take it back from you spooks and develop it. […]"

Synonyms for spook

Antonyms for spook

Related Words

Word Forms

• spooks
• spooking
• spooked

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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