English
spook
Pronunciation Noun

spook (plural spooks)

  1. (informal) A ghost or phantom.
    The building was haunted by a couple of spooks.
  2. A hobgoblin.
  3. (informal) A scare or fright.
    The big spider gave me a spook.
  4. (espionage, slang) A spy.
    • 2009, "Spies like them", BBC News Magazine (online), 24 July 2009:
      From Ian Fleming to John Le Carre - authors have long been fascinated by the world of espionage. But, asks the BBC’s Gordon Corera, what do real life spooks make of fictional spies?
    • 2012, The Economist, Oct 13th 2012, Huawei and ZTE: Put on hold ↗
      The congressional study frets that Huawei’s and ZTE’s products could be used as Trojan horses by Chinese spooks.
  5. (slang, dated, pejorative, ethnic slur) A black person.
  6. (philosophy) A metaphysical manifestation; an artificial distinction or construct.
    He who is infatuated with Man leaves persons out of account so far as that infatuation extends, and floats in an ideal, sacred interest. Man, you see, is not a person, but an ideal, a spook. — Max Stirner ↗
Synonyms Translations Translations
  • French: fantôme
  • Russian: при́зрак
Translations Translations Verb

spook (spooks, present participle spooking; past and past participle spooked)

  1. (transitive) To frighten or make nervous (especially by startling).
    The hunters were spooked when the black cat crossed their path. The movement in the bushes spooked the deer and they ran.
  2. (intransitive) To become frightened (by something startling).
    The deer spooked at the sound of the dogs.
  3. (transitive) To haunt.
Translations

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