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• spirit
  spirit

  noun

  the principle of conscious life; the vital principle in humans, animating the body or mediating between body and soul.
• Spirit
  Spirit

spirit

American  

[spir-it] / ˈspɪr ɪt /

noun

• spirits
  plural

1. the principle of conscious life; the vital principle in humans, animating the body or mediating between body and soul.

2. the incorporeal part of humans.

   present in spirit though absent in body.

   Synonyms:

   essence, consciousness, mind, life

3. the soul regarded as separating from the body at death.

4. conscious, incorporeal being, as opposed to matter.

   the world of spirit.

5. a supernatural, incorporeal being, especially one inhabiting a place, object, etc., or having a particular character.

   evil spirits.

   Synonyms:

   shade, phantom, apparition

6. a fairy, sprite, or elf.

   Synonyms:

   hobgoblin, goblin

7. an angel or demon.

   Synonyms:

   genius

8. an attitude or principle that inspires, animates, or pervades thought, feeling, or action.

   the spirit of reform.

9. (initial capital letter) the divine influence as an agency working in the human heart.

10. a divine, inspiring, or animating being or influence. Numbers 11:25; Isaiah 32:15.

11. (initial capital letter) the third person of the Trinity; Holy Spirit.

12. the soul or heart as the seat of feelings or sentiments, or as prompting to action.

    a man of broken spirit.

13. spirits, feelings or mood with regard to exaltation or depression.

    low spirits; good spirits.

14. excellent disposition or attitude in terms of vigor, courage, firmness of intent, etc.; mettle.

    That's the spirit!

    Synonyms:

    enterprise, fire, ardor, zeal, energy, enthusiasm

15. temper or disposition.

    meek in spirit.

    Synonyms:

    humor, mood, attitude

16. an individual as characterized by a given attitude, disposition, character, action, etc..

    A few brave spirits remained to face the danger.

17. the dominant tendency or character of anything.

    the spirit of the age.

    Synonyms:

    complexion, sense, essence, gist, tenor, drift, nature

18. vigorous sense of membership in a group.

    college spirit.

19. the general meaning or intent of a statement, document, etc. (opposed to letter).

    the spirit of the law.

    Synonyms:

    purport, significance, intention

20. Chemistry. the essence or active principle of a substance as extracted in liquid form, especially by distillation.

21. Often spirits a strong distilled alcoholic liquor.

22. Chiefly British. alcohol.

23. Pharmacology. a solution in alcohol of an essential or volatile principle; essence.

24. any of certain subtle fluids formerly supposed to permeate the body.

25. the Spirit, God

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adjective

1. pertaining to something that works by burning alcoholic spirits.

   a spirit stove.

2. of or relating to spiritualist bodies or activities.

verb (used with object)

• spirits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• spirited,
  past participle,  past
• spiriting
  present participle

1. to animate with fresh ardor or courage; inspirit.

2. to encourage; urge on or stir up, as to action.

3. to carry off mysteriously or secretly (often followed by away oroff ).

   His captors spirited him away.

idioms

1. out of spirits, in low spirits; depressed.

   We were feeling out of spirits after so many days of rain.

spirit ¹ British  

/ ˈspɪrɪt /

noun

1. the force or principle of life that animates the body of living things

2. temperament or disposition

   truculent in spirit

3. liveliness; mettle

   they set to it with spirit

4. the fundamental, emotional, and activating principle of a person; will

   the experience broke his spirit

5. a sense of loyalty or dedication

   team spirit

6. the prevailing element; feeling

   a spirit of joy pervaded the atmosphere

7. state of mind or mood; attitude

   he did it in the wrong spirit

8. (plural) an emotional state, esp with regard to exaltation or dejection

   in high spirits

9. a person characterized by some activity, quality, or disposition

   a leading spirit of the movement

10. the deeper more significant meaning as opposed to a pedantic interpretation

    the spirit of the law

11. that which constitutes a person's intangible being as contrasted with his physical presence

    I shall be with you in spirit

12. 1. an incorporeal being, esp the soul of a dead person

    2. ( as modifier )

       spirit world

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verb

1. to carry off mysteriously or secretly

2. (often foll by up) to impart animation or determination to

spirit ² British  

/ ˈspɪrɪt /

noun

1. (often plural) any distilled alcoholic liquor such as brandy, rum, whisky, or gin

2. chem

   1. an aqueous solution of ethanol, esp one obtained by distillation

   2. the active principle or essence of a substance, extracted as a liquid, esp by distillation

3. pharmacol

   1. a solution of a volatile substance, esp a volatile oil, in alcohol

   2. ( as modifier )

      a spirit burner

4. alchemy any of the four substances sulphur, mercury, sal ammoniac, or arsenic

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Spirit ³ British  

/ ˈspɪrɪt /

noun

1. 1. another name for the Holy Spirit

   2. God, esp when regarded as transcending material limitations

2. the influence of God or divine things upon the soul

3. Christian Science God or divine substance

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spirit More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing spirit

• kindred spirit

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Synonym Usage

See ghost.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonspirit
  noun
• outspirit
  verb (used with object)
• spiritlike
  adjective
• unspiriting
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• spirits
  plural

Participles

• spiriting
  present
• spirited
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• spirit
  simple
• spirits
  simple
• have spirited
  perfect
• has spirited
  perfect
• am spiriting
  progressive
• are spiriting
  progressive
• is spiriting
  progressive
• have been spiriting
  perfect progressive
• has been spiriting
  perfect progressive

Past

• spirited
  simple
• had spirited
  perfect
• was spiriting
  progressive
• were spiriting
  progressive
• had been spiriting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will spirit
  simple
• will have spirited
  perfect
• will be spiriting
  progressive
• will have been spiriting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of spirit

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English (noun), from Latin spīritus originally, “a breathing,” equivalent to spīri-, combining form representing spīrāre “to breathe” + -tus suffix of verb action

Explanation

If someone tells you you have a sagging spirit, that means your life-force seems to be missing. Spirit comes from the Latin word for "breath," and like breath, spirit is considered a fundamental part of being alive. Some people think of the spirit as a presence that's separate from the body, which is why spirit is another word for ghost. We also use spirit to mean "the general mood or intent," like when you tell your former enemy, "I approach you in the spirit of kindness."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spirit Spirit spirits spirited spiriting

Many of the Mull fans interviewed are still with us—Steve Martin, for instance, a solidly kindred spirit and a major supporter of Mull’s painting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

We did, however, register a website for our new school ventures, ProPublicaAcademy.com, and even designed some fun pencils to show our school spirit.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

“I am in awe of their spirit and resilience.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

So you’re talking about the same kind of spirit.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

You would come to cheer her up, but you would be the one who would leave that silent bedroom, spirit mysteriously and gloriously renewed.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Before his foray into Spider-Man-related projects, Cage portrayed Johnny Blaze in the 2007 movie “Ghost Rider” and its sequel, “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

In 2004, she returned to her debut theatre role in Blithe Spirit aged 63 when the play was revived at the West End's Savoy Theatre.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

The U.S. national team and Washington Spirit player posted a video later Wednesday morning on TikTok that showed her inside a gym with the caption, “Yes, I’m at training now.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

The jet maker bought Spirit AeroSystems in December, and has since uncovered large liabilities it initially hadn’t identified.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

“I think they want to believe in the Spirit of the Sea more than any of the other weird make-believe things they’ve been chasing.”

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Jobs and Mr. Johnson were kindred spirits when it came to strategy, but temperamentally they were a mismatched pair—California tech and Midwestern retail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

"People forget he was my carer, so it's role reversal, although I'm not really looking after him. I'm just trying to keep his spirits up."

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

U.S. spirits exports to Canada fell roughly 70% over a 12-month period, dropping from $232 million to $72 million, while U.S. wine exports to Canada plunged by 87%, from $456 million to $60 million.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

The highest costs of the tariffs will be concentrated within a few industries, including auto and other manufacturing, dairy, and alcohol and spirits, said Alex Durante, a senior economist at the Tax Foundation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Though others were in the room, the spirits immediately focused their attention on Hammond.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

The precious objects were spirited out and trafficked abroad, including to the US.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

The Rahims had always been a spirited bunch when eating together, constantly interrupting each other in a friendly competition for airtime.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Since 1982, policymakers and prominent economists have gathered in this remote valley ringed by mountains in Grand Teton National Park -- known to most people more for its bison than for spirited debates on macroeconomics.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Yes, “Spa Weekend” is a plate of reheated “Wedding Crashers” nachos, because no one stirs up cheerful chaos like the spirited Fisher.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

The dance was a gavotte, too spirited for talk.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

“You can be in a sort of magpie mode where you’re always looking for things to use, and spiriting those things back to your creative process,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

“He was going to retire a very wealthy man, but because he wanted more, what he’s going to be known for from now on is spiriting himself away from Japan by hiding in a box.”

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 23, 2023

It has carried out spectacular missions such as hunting down Arab enemies through Europe, capturing Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann and, with agents disguised as scuba diving instructors, spiriting Ethiopian Jews out to Israel.

From Reuters ● Aug. 1, 2023

War heroes: A student spiriting supplies to soldiers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2022

Now the taxi turned right, spiriting her off in the opposite direction.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Related Words

• character
• courage
• energy
• enthusiasm
• essence
• heart
• humor
• life
• mood
• morale
• quality
• resolve
• temperament
• vigor
• vitality
• warmth
• will