spook
Americannoun
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Slang. a ghostwriter.
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Slang. an eccentric person.
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Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.
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Slang. an espionage agent; spy.
verb (used with object)
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to haunt; inhabit or appear in or to as a ghost or specter.
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Informal. to frighten; scare.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a ghost or a person suggestive of this
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a spy
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slang any pale or colourless alcoholic spirit
spook and diesel
verb
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to frighten
to spook horses
to spook a person
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(of a ghost) to haunt
Sensitive Note
When referring to a black person, the term spook dates back to the 1940s. It is used with disparaging intent and is perceived as highly insulting. Black pilots who trained at Tuskegee Institute during World War II were called the Spookwaffe. Some sources say that black pilots reclaimed this derogatory nickname as a self-referential term of pride.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spook
An Americanism first recorded in 1795–1805; from Dutch; cognate with German Spuk
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.
Don’t expect the data to spook investors, many of whom have been waiting for years to invest in SpaceX.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
Still, the comparison may spook some people, and Pies said that the rally needs to broaden out in order to continue.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 19, 2026
The zoo has urged people not to approach Samba or attempt to catch her, warning this could "spook" the animal and push her out of the area.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
The latest development to spook markets was news that AI startup Anthropic -- which created the Claude chatbot -- had unveiled a tool that could be used by firms to carry out legal work.
From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026
Pete makes a good spook but a good spook has no brothers, no sisters, no father or mother.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
