spook

[ spook ]

/ spuk /

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noun

Informal. a ghost; specter.

Slang. a ghostwriter.

Slang. an eccentric person.

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

Slang. an espionage agent; spy.

verb (used with object)

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

Informal. to frighten; scare.

verb (used without object)

Informal. to become frightened or scared: The fish spooked at any disturbance in the pool.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of spook

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

usage note for spook

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 WORDS FROM spook

spook·er·y, nounspookish, adjective

Words nearby spook

spontaneous recovery, spontoon, spoof, spoofery, spoofing, spook, spooky, spool, spoom, spoon, spoon back

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spook in a sentence

And he just so happens to be the hardest-working spook on the planet.
Iran’s Top Spy Is the Modern-Day Karla, John Le Carré’s Villainous Mastermind|Michael Weiss|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Few people knew better than Orson Welles how to spook an entire country.
When Mars Attacked 75 Years Ago—And Everyone Believed It|Marc Wortman|October 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Authorities in Moscow claim to have arrested an American spook wearing wigs and carrying an incriminating letter.
American Spy Nabbed in Russia?|Anna Nemtsova|May 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A third test will, therefore, further spook nervous allies and create a new sense of vulnerability among Americans.
Obama’s Second-Term Crisis|David Freedlander|January 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST

From suave Jack Ryan to smarmy Eugene Kittridge, potential candidates for America's next top spook.
10 Fictional Replacements for CIA Chief David Petraeus|Ben Teitelbaum, Laura Colarusso|November 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
More than with the "spook," however, was the public mind agitated by other rumors which touched upon "south meadow."
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
A speck is a minute spot, and among the ancients a speck or dot within a circle was the symbol of the central Spook or Spectre.
Archaic England|Harold Bayley
It gets me what she was doing in that spook place alone at night.
The Pony Rider Boys in Texas|Frank Gee Patchin
How do you connect this gentlemanly spook with the treasure, your Excellency?
The Ghost Breaker|Charles Goddard
I think there is more in this spook story than Colonel McClure knows of, or, at least, will admit.
The Pony Rider Boys in Texas|Frank Gee Patchin

British Dictionary definitions for spook

spook

/ (spuːk) informal /

noun

a ghost or a person suggestive of this

US and Canadian a spy

Southern African slang any pale or colourless alcoholic spiritspook and diesel

verb (tr) US and Canadian

to frightento spook horses; to spook a person

(of a ghost) to haunt

Derived forms of spook

spookish, adjective

Word Origin for spook

C19: Dutch spook, from Middle Low German spōk ghost

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

spook

Origin of spook

usage note for spook

OTHER WORDS FROM spook

Words nearby spook

Words related to spook

How to use spook in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spook

Derived forms of spook

Word Origin for spook