the specter of (something)
idiom
: a notion or fear of something bad that might happen in the future
a nation alarmed/haunted by the specter of famine/war
News of the disease raised the specter of a possible plague.
Examples of the specter of (something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Israel's war in Gaza have disrupted global trade, and rising tension in China about its economy and, particularly, its relationship with Taiwan, have raised the specter of severe upheaval.
—
Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024
Moscow’s forces have already been pushing in several directions in recent weeks, raising the specter of a possible attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv.
—Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Now, a series of hot inflation, retail sales, and labor market reports—along with brewing conflict in the Middle East that raises the specter of an oil price spike—have made Powell and his fellow Fed officials rapidly change their tone.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
Hans Zimmer and Kara Talve composed the original song for the limited series that stars Harvey Keitel, Melanie Lynskey, Jonah Hauer-King, Anna Próchniak and Jonas Nay, and which Streisand recorded to in part recall the memory of the Holocaust and the specter of antisemitism resurfacing again.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
That raised the specter of a conflict regional in scope and possibly catastrophic in its aftermath.
—CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
The volatility of the campaign — with its racial undertones and potential for misleading information, despite some companies having policies against such acts — and the specter of Trump returning to the White House can take a toll on Black voters, Sherrod said.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024
Some of the justices raised the specter of military officers forcing a crisis by declaring that the president was disqualified from office and not empowered to give them orders.
—The Editors, National Review, 9 Feb. 2024
Though the specter of what could have been hovers over the game, the Huskies are formidable in their quest for a record-extending 12th national championship with their own star guard.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024
Moscow’s forces have already been pushing in several directions in recent weeks, raising the specter of a possible attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv.
—Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Now, a series of hot inflation, retail sales, and labor market reports—along with brewing conflict in the Middle East that raises the specter of an oil price spike—have made Powell and his fellow Fed officials rapidly change their tone.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
Hans Zimmer and Kara Talve composed the original song for the limited series that stars Harvey Keitel, Melanie Lynskey, Jonah Hauer-King, Anna Próchniak and Jonas Nay, and which Streisand recorded to in part recall the memory of the Holocaust and the specter of antisemitism resurfacing again.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
That raised the specter of a conflict regional in scope and possibly catastrophic in its aftermath.
—CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
The volatility of the campaign — with its racial undertones and potential for misleading information, despite some companies having policies against such acts — and the specter of Trump returning to the White House can take a toll on Black voters, Sherrod said.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024
Some of the justices raised the specter of military officers forcing a crisis by declaring that the president was disqualified from office and not empowered to give them orders.
—The Editors, National Review, 9 Feb. 2024
Though the specter of what could have been hovers over the game, the Huskies are formidable in their quest for a record-extending 12th national championship with their own star guard.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the specter of (something).' 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 the specter of (something)
Cite this Entry
“The specter of (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20specter%20of%20%28something%29. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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