spook

/spu:k/
Học thuật
Thân thiện
spook

A sudden noise spooked the horse in the stable.

Definition

  1. Noun:

    • A ghost or specter; a frightening apparition: "spook" refers to a supernatural being, often thought to haunt a place, that causes fear.
    • A spy or undercover agent: (Informal/Slang) "spook" can refer to a person engaged in espionage or secret intelligence work.
    • An eccentric or strange person: (Informal) "spook" can describe someone who is perceived as odd or unsettling.

  2. Verb:

    • To frighten or startle suddenly: "spook" means to scare someone or something, often causing a nervous or startled reaction.
    • To become frightened or nervous: (Intransitive) "spook" can also describe the act of becoming scared or skittish.
Usage Examples

  • Noun:

    • The old house was said to be haunted by a spook.
    • The novel's protagonist was a spook working for a secret agency.
    • He's a bit of a spook, always muttering to himself.

  • Verb:

    • The loud thunder spooked the cat, and it hid under the bed.
    • Investors were spooked by the sudden market crash.
    • The horse spooked easily at the plastic bag blowing in the wind.
Advanced Usage

  • "to spook at something": to react with sudden fear to a specific thing.

    • The deer spooked at the sound of the hunter's footsteps.

  • "to be spooked by": to be made fearful or anxious by something.

    • She was deeply spooked by the strange phone calls in the middle of the night.
Variants and Related Words

  • Spooky (adj): causing fear in a way that suggests the supernatural; eerie.

    • The forest path was dark and spooky at night.

  • Spookiness (n): the quality of being spooky.

Synonyms
  • Noun (Ghost): ghost, specter, phantom, apparition, wraith.
  • Noun (Spy): agent, operative, intelligence officer, secret agent.
  • Verb: frighten, scare, startle, alarm, unnerve.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

(Note: "spook" is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its usage is typically straightforward as a verb.)

Related Idioms
  • "Spook the horses": to cause alarm or disruption, often by doing something unconventional or shocking. (Extends from the literal meaning of frightening animals.)
    • His radical proposals might spook the horses in the conservative committee.
spook

A sudden noise spooked the horse in the stable.

Noun
  1. a mental representation of some haunting experience
    • he looked like he had seen a ghost
    • it aroused specters from his past
  2. someone unpleasantly strange or eccentric
Verb
  1. frighten or scare, and often provoke into a violent action
    • The noise spooked the horse

Từ đồng nghĩa

Từ gần giống

Từ chứa "spook"