ghoul

[ gool ]

/ gul /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ghoul ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an evil demon, originally of Muslim legend, supposed to feed on human beings, and especially to rob graves, prey on corpses, etc.

a grave robber.

a person who revels in what is revolting.

Nearby words

ghosting, ghostly, ghosts, ghostwrite, ghostwriter, ghoul, ghoulish, ghoulishly, ghq, ghrelin, ghrf

Origin of ghoul

First recorded in 1780–90, ghoul is from the Arabic word ghūl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ghoul

The ghoul that keeps Putin awake at night is a Ukrainian Cossack.
Cossacks: The Cowboys of Crimea|Kamil Tchorek|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Arabic legend, a ghoul is a creature that eats both stolen corpses and children.
What's the Difference Between Ghouls, Goblins, and Ghosts?|Dictionary.com|November 1, 2010|DAILY BEAST
At this the ghoul was angered, and I thought that he would have done me some bodily violence.
The Fantasy Fan January 1934|Various
I will watch him like a ghoul of Bowanee, and they shall be mine!
A Fascinating Traitor|Richard Henry Savage

When he came to the form of Bosco, that youth feigned death, knowing that resistance to the ghoul meant a death wound.
The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin|Harry Houdini
Directly, a small window at one side of the gate was opened, and a ghoul put his head out.
Ting-a-ling|Frank Richard Stockton
And she laughed, and it would not have been a bad laugh for a ghoul.
Uncle Silas|J. S. LeFanu

British Dictionary definitions for ghoul

ghoul

/ (ɡuːl) /

noun

a malevolent spirit or ghost

a person interested in morbid or disgusting things

a person who robs graves

(in Muslim legend) an evil demon thought to eat human bodies, either stolen corpses or children

Word Origin for ghoul

C18: from Arabic ghūl, from ghāla he seized

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