spook
Americannoun
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spooks
plural
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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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spooks,
present (3rd person singular)
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spooked,
past participle, past
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spooking
present participle
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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)
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spooks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spooked,
past participle, past
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spooking
present participle
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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spooksimple
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spookssimple
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have spookedperfect
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has spookedperfect
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am spookingprogressive
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are spookingprogressive
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is spookingprogressive
-
have been spookingperfect progressive
-
has been spookingperfect progressive
Past
-
spookedsimple
-
had spookedperfect
-
was spookingprogressive
-
were spookingprogressive
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had been spookingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
That was enough to spook markets, with AI and other technology stocks tumbling on Monday and weighing on the broader equity markets.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
However, they advise caution due to the many uncontrollable factors that could spook a cat outdoors like cars, dogs and wildlife.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
The Treasury is focused on creating a Budget that will not spook financial markets, with a senior source insisting the core themes of Healey's plans would be "fiscal discipline" and "fiscal devolution".
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
But there are potential ripple effects that could spook even staid investors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
I couldn’t throw it into High Street; it might spook one of the horses.
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
At 10 to 11 times forward revenue, any growth that falls short of perfect spooks the market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
This is the eighth and final year Enea’s family of four will be remaking its Van Nuys property into a frightful, walk-through attraction that spooks thousands of visitors each Halloween.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2025
The correlation will break when an event spooks markets.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2025
The report spooks participants in the crypto market.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 28, 2024
She sure spooks easy for somebody so tall.
From "Bronx Masquerade" by Nikki Grimes
"I'm sure all the residents of Fairford are quite spooked and jumped about it," said Currie.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
The paper says investors have signalled that the gilt market "would not be spooked" by a more modest target, adding that the Treasury and Number 10 are "actively debating" the possibility.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Before the postponed Holtec IPO, investors were spooked after UBS downgraded NuScale to “sell,” questioning its path to profitability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
A rising share of builders are slashing prices on newly built homes despite increasing construction costs, as buyers get spooked by high mortgage rates.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
She’d been too spooked to think about it herself.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Retail diesel prices promptly started climbing, spooking markets, because diesel is the workhorse fuel of the economy.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Market choppiness and artificial-intelligence safety fears are spooking investors and throwing into disarray what was expected to be a string of blockbuster IPOs this fall, Corrie Driebusch reports for The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
To comply, some funds began selling holdings, spooking investors who started trying to cash in their investments.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
The overnight strikes killed one sailor from India and injured several other crew members, spooking captains and shipping executives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
“Just a bit. It stands to reason that he’s probably a bit prone to spooking on that side too, but I haven’t seen him do it.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
