spook

[spook]

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.

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

/ 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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of spook¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of spook¹

C19: Dutch spook, from Middle Low German spōk ghost

Example Sentences

I flushed when she said my name, and I startled easily and often when she tried to spook me.

From Salon

Higher tariffs have sparked rising prices in construction materials and equipment, while the crackdown on undocumented workers has thinned and spooked much of the international workforce the industry depends on.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet in today’s environment, where fear of retribution from the White House is driving programming decisions, it was enough to spook ABC into pulling a late-night franchise that’s endured for decades.

From Los Angeles Times

But by then his words had already spooked markets, spurring a sharp fall in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and a raft of enraged statements from his political enemies.

From Los Angeles Times

Mexico’s economy was already on the rocks when the U.S. president began issuing tariff threats, spooking overseas investors who once viewed Mexico as a pipeline to move products into the U.S. tax-free.

From Los Angeles Times