poltergeist
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of poltergeist
1840–50; < German Poltergeist, equivalent to polter ( n ) to make noise, knock, rattle + Geist ghost
Explanation
When you're home alone at night and hear a mysterious noise from above, it's much more likely to be mice in your attic than a poltergeist, which is a noisy ghost. You've probably come across poltergeists in scary movies and books, and with any luck you won't encounter one in real life. Stories describe them as particularly disruptive ghosts, known for making noise and throwing things around. The roots of the word poltergeist make perfect sense: poltern means "create a disturbance" in German, and geist means "ghost."
Vocabulary lists containing poltergeist
The Grim Reader: Wicked Words of Grave Importance for Halloween
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On a more intimate scale, Gemma and Cady’s new Bay Area rental is a smart house where everything is a potential poltergeist, from the ice dispenser to the vacuum.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2025
Andrew Lloyd Webber has said he once called on a priest to help remove a poltergeist from his London home.
From BBC • Jan. 3, 2024
Here’s what you should know about the mysterious rise and fall of the purported poltergeist.
From National Geographic • Sep. 19, 2023
Both have reportedly claimed that a Skinwalker ranch poltergeist followed them home.
From Scientific American • Jun. 27, 2023
Miguel thought it was a poltergeist, a sort of mischievous spirit that liked to play tricks on the living.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
