poltergeist
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
He said he also dealt with reports of poltergeist activity, which is the belief held by some people that a spirit or force can move furniture or throw objects around a house.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2024
Wrapped in white sheets, the singer transforms into a joyful poltergeist hopping on the bed, reminding me of the time that I jumped so hard on my bed, it broke.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 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
Peeves was the school poltergeist, a grinning, airborne menace who lived to cause havoc and distress.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
Here are a few insulation options of which your poltergeists will surely approve.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2023
The latest is a 512-acre ranch in rural Utah that is supposedly a “hotspot” for UFOs, poltergeists, animal mutilations and “shadow creatures.”
From Scientific American ● Jun. 27, 2023
Families who swear their homes have been taken over by spirits, poltergeists, shadow people or demons call upon “The Dead Files” team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2020
The American writer Charles Fort noted that poltergeists often emanated from those who had no direct power – women, servants, adolescents, children.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 19, 2020
“Exactly. I have always liked the notion that the American twins were actually a poltergeist phenomenon; certainly poltergeists can overshadow any more interesting manifestation. Bad ghosts drive out good.”
From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson
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.
