spook
[ spook ]
/ spuk /
noun
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.
Origin of spook
1795–1805,
Americanism; < 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, noun spook·ish, adjectiveWords nearby spook
spontaneous version,
spontoon,
spoof,
spoofery,
spoofing,
spook,
spooky,
spool,
spoom,
spoon,
spoon back
Example sentences from the Web for spooked
British Dictionary definitions for spooked
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 spirit
spook and diesel
verb (tr) US and Canadian
to frighten
to spook horses; to spook a person
(of a ghost) to haunt
Derived forms of spook
spookish, adjectiveWord Origin for spook
C19: Dutch
spook, from Middle Low German
spōk ghost