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
Zoom out: Republicans have been raising the specter of a wide-ranging effort to challenge the election result if Trump loses.
—
Andrew Solender, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
No matter who Americans cast a ballot for, election anxiety seems inescapable this year, exacerbated by razor-thin races in key swing states, the specter of another Donald Trump campaign effort to overturn the results and increasingly violent political rhetoric.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
Now, as the Caucasus nation counts down to its October 26 parliamentary election, the specter of authoritarianism looms large once again.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 25 Oct. 2024
That’s worth digging into without the specter of every underwhelming special occasion hanging over the conversation.
—R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for the specter of (something) 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Andrew Solender, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
No matter who Americans cast a ballot for, election anxiety seems inescapable this year, exacerbated by razor-thin races in key swing states, the specter of another Donald Trump campaign effort to overturn the results and increasingly violent political rhetoric.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
Now, as the Caucasus nation counts down to its October 26 parliamentary election, the specter of authoritarianism looms large once again.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 25 Oct. 2024
That’s worth digging into without the specter of every underwhelming special occasion hanging over the conversation.
—R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for the specter of (something)
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 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share