spook

[ spook ]
See synonyms for spook on Thesaurus.com
noun

  1. Informal. a ghost; specter.

  2. Slang. a ghostwriter.

  1. Slang. an eccentric person.

  2. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.

  3. Slang. an espionage agent; spy.

verb (used with object)

  1. to haunt; inhabit or appear in or to as a ghost or specter.

  2. Informal. to frighten; scare.

verb (used without object)

  1. Informal. to become frightened or scared: The fish spooked at any disturbance in the pool.

Origin of spook

1
An Americanism first recorded in 1795–1805; from Dutch; cognate with German Spuk

usage note For spook

When referring to a black person, the term spook dates back to the 1940s. It is used with disparaging intent and is perceived as highly insulting. Black pilots who trained at Tuskegee Institute during World War II were called the Spookwaffe. Some sources say that black pilots reclaimed this derogatory nickname as a self-referential term of pride.

Other words from spook

  • spook·er·y, noun
  • spookish, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for spook

spook

/ (spuːk) informal /

noun

  1. a ghost or a person suggestive of this

  2. US and Canadian a spy

  1. Southern African slang any pale or colourless alcoholic spirit: spook and diesel

verb(tr) US and Canadian

  1. to frighten: to spook horses; to spook a person

  2. (of a ghost) to haunt

Origin of spook

1
C19: Dutch spook, from Middle Low German spōk ghost

Derived forms of spook

  • spookish, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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