spooked; spooking; spooks
1
2
: to make frightened or frantic : scare
especially
: to startle into violent activity (such as stampeding)
: to become spooked
cattle spooking at shadows
Examples of spook in a Sentence
Noun
Russia recalled its spooks after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Halloween is the night when spooks and goblins are said to roam abroad.
Verb
The noise spooked the cat.
The little girl was spooked by scary masks.
Recent Examples on the Web
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
The line-up of spooks will be familiar to fans of the British show, with some twists to account for French culture and history.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 4 Apr. 2025
Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 24 June 2025
While the markets may prefer a cut, what really spooks analysts and investors alike is when Trump’s pressure over the base rate bleeds into questions of tampering.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for spook
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Noun
George’s horse spooks and flees; looking up at a ridge, Joe sees Yé’iitsoh.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
The line-up of spooks will be familiar to fans of the British show, with some twists to account for French culture and history.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
New York’s Democratic mayoral primary today has the city’s capital class spooked, as a 33-year-old socialist has caught former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the polls.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 24 June 2025
While the markets may prefer a cut, what really spooks analysts and investors alike is when Trump’s pressure over the base rate bleeds into questions of tampering.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for spook
Cite this Entry
“Spook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spook. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spook
1 of 2 nounspook
2 of 2 verb
: to make or become frightened : scare
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