verb / noun
spook
A ghostlike supernatural figure.
In the story, a pale spook drifts through the attic.
Etymology
The Dutch source means ghost. English borrowed it directly for an apparition or supernatural presence.
More examples
- The children dress as spooks for Halloween.
- Local legends say a spook haunts the abandoned hotel.
- We laugh when the mysterious spook turns out to be a curtain.
Forms
spook · spooks
spooky adjective — Eerie or frightening, as if ghosts were present.