spectre
Britishnoun
-
a ghost; phantom; apparition
-
a mental image of something unpleasant or menacing
the spectre of redundancy
Etymology
Origin of spectre
C17: from Latin spectrum, from specere to look at
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.
Growth in India's IT back offices is slowing, stocks are underperforming, hiring has shrunk and wages have stagnated as the spectre of a new disruptor looms large.
From BBC
"Let whatever happens happen! And that's it!" she tells the BBC, adding that worrying about the spectre of war doesn't help much.
From BBC
While the spectre of Bale is inescapable with Wales, Johnson had another impossible act to follow at Spurs, joining in the same transfer window in which Harry Kane left for Bayern Munich.
From BBC
They cannot allow him to be the spectre hanging over every game.
From BBC
One game down in Australia and the spectre of injury has already hit.
From BBC
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.