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
Most in the legal establishment prefer the mirage of change to the specter of reality.
—
Mark A. Cohen, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
It's punctuated by cut-ins from the present day, where Swann and Autumn switch between reminiscing over how simple everything was back then and trying to figure out what exactly happened those decades ago, with the specter of the ominous package looming overhead.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 18 Feb. 2025
Arab Gulf states are unlikely to invest billions into rebuilding Gaza so long as Hamas is still present on the ground and the specter of fresh Israeli attacks looms.
—Aya Batrawy, NPR, 17 Feb. 2025
The hiring freeze, as well as the specter of buyouts and layoffs across the federal workforce, prompted U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat, and 21 other senators to send a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Feb. 7.
—Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the specter of (something)
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Mark A. Cohen, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
It's punctuated by cut-ins from the present day, where Swann and Autumn switch between reminiscing over how simple everything was back then and trying to figure out what exactly happened those decades ago, with the specter of the ominous package looming overhead.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 18 Feb. 2025
Arab Gulf states are unlikely to invest billions into rebuilding Gaza so long as Hamas is still present on the ground and the specter of fresh Israeli attacks looms.
—Aya Batrawy, NPR, 17 Feb. 2025
The hiring freeze, as well as the specter of buyouts and layoffs across the federal workforce, prompted U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat, and 21 other senators to send a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Feb. 7.
—Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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 27 Feb. 2025.
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