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
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Recent Examples of poltergeist
Lamorne Morris is a lovesick poltergeist in Ghosts first-look photos
08 of 20
House of the Dragon (2022–present)
Thankfully, Game of Thrones fans didn't have to wait long for another trip to Westeros.
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EW.com, 30 Sep. 2024
In 1548, Johannes Gast wrote about a Faust who had played tricks on a group of monks by introducing a poltergeist into the monastery.
—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
See all Example Sentences for poltergeist 
EW.com, 30 Sep. 2024
In 1548, Johannes Gast wrote about a Faust who had played tricks on a group of monks by introducing a poltergeist into the monastery.
—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
See all Example Sentences for poltergeist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poltergeist
Noun
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Easier said than done since many of the ghosts that haunt Light Shop are jump-out-of-your-seat scary.Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
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The ultimate effect is paradoxical: the more that Valéry eliminates the ghost of pain and passion from the logical machinery of his work, the starker and more affecting the moans and cries of the ghost become.Benjamin Kunkel, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
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To have a follower recount a feat of superhuman strength, or even an apparition, is hard for a layperson to fathom but has the advantage of having happened in the past and out of the view of nonbelievers.Michelle Weber, Longreads, 8 Nov. 2024
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But there can be more to a scary movie than just screaming apparitions or a gradually diminishing number of coeds with a bad sense of self-preservation.Keith Staskiewicz, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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In the spirit of holiday giving, the team invites their community to nominate and vote for upstanding charitable organizations that support mothers.Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
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Prince William joined in the festive spirit by helping to distribute gifts to children from under the Christmas tree before enjoying a lively performance by a Fijian choir composed of soldiers from the Mercian Regiment.Simon Perry, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The 7-year-old phantom golden doodle is one of a handful of therapy dogs in regional police departments.Bebe Hodges, USA TODAY, 15 Nov. 2024
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This phantom or pretend gain is subject to tax, usually at capital gains rates.Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.D., Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near poltergeist
Cite this Entry
“Poltergeist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poltergeist. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
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