spook

American  

[spook] / spuk /

noun

1. Informal. a ghost; specter.

2. Slang. a ghostwriter.

3. Slang. an eccentric person.

4. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.

5. Slang. an espionage agent; spy.

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verb (used with object)

1. to haunt; inhabit or appear in or to as a ghost or specter.

2. Informal. to frighten; scare.

verb (used without object)

1. Informal. to become frightened or scared.

   The fish spooked at any disturbance in the pool.

spook British  

/ spuːk /

noun

1. a ghost or a person suggestive of this

2. a spy

3. slang any pale or colourless alcoholic spirit

   spook and diesel

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verb

1. to frighten

   to spook horses

   to spook a person

2. (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

• spookery noun
• spookish adjective

Etymology

Origin of spook

An Americanism first recorded in 1795–1805; from Dutch; cognate with German Spuk

Example Sentences

Amazon followed Alphabet in announcing capital-spending plans well above Wall Street expectations—commitments that spooked markets and weighed on tech and software stocks in Asia and Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal

Since then, however, investors have gotten spooked by risky tech assets.

From Barron's

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

Some I have spoken to were also spooked by Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, managing to personalise the issue - telling Labour MPs that they risked individually becoming party to a "cover-up".

From BBC

The Old Bailey heard she saw Wright and initially thought he was urinating, but then became spooked by "the way he looked at her".

From BBC