spook
/spuːk/ (bre, ipa) · [spˈuk] /spuːk/ (ame, ipa) · [spˈuk] /ˈspük How to pronounce spook (audio)/ (ame, mw)
spook — noun
- spooksingular
- spooksplural
1. an informal word for a ghost or spirit, especially one imagined in a dark or hau
an informal word for a ghost or spirit, especially one imagined in a dark or haunted place
The kids whispered that a spook lived in the attic above Grandma's room.
collocation: a spook lived in [place]
After the lights failed, Jamal joked that the hallway was perfect for a spook.
The old film used smoke and a white sheet to create a spook.
Mina told her brother the shadow was only a tree, not a spook.
- ghost
the neutral everyday word for a dead person's spirit
- spirit
broader and less playful; can sound more serious or religious
- apparition
more literary; emphasizes the visible appearance
文法句型
see a spook
look like a spook
用法筆記
Usually appears in playful, old-fashioned, or horror-story contexts. In neutral writing, ghost is the more common choice.
常見錯誤
2. a spy, especially one secretly working for a government or intelligence service
a spy, especially one secretly working for a government or intelligence service
Reporters learned that the diplomat had once been a Cold War spook.
collocation: Cold War spook
The novel follows two rival spooks trading false messages across Berlin.
No one in the office guessed that quiet Mr. Chen was a spook.
Old newspapers called every foreign agent a spook during the crisis.
文法句型
be a spook
former spook
用法筆記
This sense is informal and somewhat old-fashioned. It often appears in political fiction, Cold War history, or journalistic writing with a slightly dramatic tone.
常見錯誤
spook — verb
- spookpresent simple I / you / we / they
- spooks3rd person singular
- spooking-ing form
- spookedpast simple
1. to make someone or some animal suddenly feel scared or nervous, often with a jum
to make someone or some animal suddenly feel scared or nervous, often with a jumpy reaction
The firework sound spooked the horses and sent them racing across the field.
spook + animal object
A masked actor jumped from the curtain and spooked the front row.
Seeing police at the station spooked Nabila into deleting the message.
The sudden movement outside the tent spooked our dog before dawn.
文法句型
spook + object
spook + object + into + doing something
be spooked by + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often suggests a quick, nervous reaction rather than deep lasting fear. It is especially common when the object is an animal or a person who is already tense.