as in ghost
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
we thought a poltergeist was knocking dishes off the shelves, but it turned out to just be vibrations from passing trains
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Examples of poltergeist in a Sentence
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Recent Examples on the Web
In 1548, Johannes Gast wrote about a Faust who had played tricks on a group of monks by introducing a poltergeist into the monastery.
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James Wood, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
In the clip, Lydia Deetz (Ryder) and her daughter, Astrid (Ortega), appear to accidentally summon the poltergeist just as Lydia did in the 1988 classic by repeating Beetlejuice's name three times.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 2 July 2024
Soon, two films will compete over nostalgia baiting as Eddie Murphy reprises his role from Beverly Hills Cop and Michael Keaton returns as the titular poltergeist in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, both based on movies from the 1980s.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 28 May 2024
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice brings Michael Keaton back as the iconically ghastly poltergeist in a decades-in-the-making sequel that reunites him with visionary director Tim Burton and costars Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 23 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for poltergeist 
James Wood, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
In the clip, Lydia Deetz (Ryder) and her daughter, Astrid (Ortega), appear to accidentally summon the poltergeist just as Lydia did in the 1988 classic by repeating Beetlejuice's name three times.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 2 July 2024
Soon, two films will compete over nostalgia baiting as Eddie Murphy reprises his role from Beverly Hills Cop and Michael Keaton returns as the titular poltergeist in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, both based on movies from the 1980s.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 28 May 2024
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice brings Michael Keaton back as the iconically ghastly poltergeist in a decades-in-the-making sequel that reunites him with visionary director Tim Burton and costars Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 23 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for poltergeist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poltergeist
Noun
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There's nothing in the footage about that questionable ghost, though!Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 3 Nov. 2024
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Princess Adrienne wore what looked like a Little Red Riding Hood dress with a red bow in her hair, while Princess Leonore struck a pose in ghost robes.Janine Henni, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The lore goes that multiple apparitions haunt the area, including 16-year-old Frank Denvin, who fell head-first from a water slide into an empty cement tank in 1896, and two brothers who remain drawn to the dangerous currents.Shawna Chen, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
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Just when Americans had all but forgotten about the senescent apparition haunting the Oval Office, Joe Biden wanders aimlessly in from the wings to remind the voting public of its resolve to usher him out of public life forever.Noah Rothman, National Review, 23 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Buy Now: $80 Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, also known as the World Wine Guys, are wine, spirits, food, and travel writers, educators, and hosts.Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2024
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Many winegrowers belong to a cooperative, Vignerons Ile de Ré, in Le Bois Plage-en-Ré, which provides free tastings of a limited selection of local wines and spirits.Jo Rodgers, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Gloria and Ruby arrive soon enough, dragging husbands and humdrum lives from elsewhere in Britain, but Joan is the real phantom — no one in the family has seen her for twenty years.Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
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Mary Holland is joining the cast as Patience, the ghost of an ultra-judgmental Puritan woman abandoned by gay Revolutionary War phantom Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones).Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Poltergeist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poltergeist. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
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