spook
Specter or unnerve
Spook has meanings that cluster around the idea of something hidden or unsettling.
A spook is a ghost or specter—something that lurks unseen.
The verb means to frighten suddenly: The noise spooked the horses.
In espionage slang, a spook is a spy, someone who operates in shadows.
Spook is also a racial slur for a Black person, now largely confined to historical contexts.
Visible supernatural manifestation
- phantomInsubstantial apparition
- specterGhostly threatening presence
- poltergeistDisruptive supernatural entity
- hauntTrouble persistently, as spirits
wraith · spirit · shade · revenant · banshee · ectoplasm · manifestation · phantasm
Covert intelligence gathering
- CIAU.S. foreign intelligence service
- undercoverSecretly engaged in espionage
- operativeCovert field agent
- intelligenceMental ability, cognitive capacity
handler · asset · informant · counterintelligence · tradecraft · mole · clandestine · covert
Cause sudden alarm
- scareCause sudden fright
- alarmUrgent warning signal
- joltAbrupt forceful shake
- surpriseUnexpected event causing astonishment
unnerve · rattle · shock · jump · flinch · panic · bolt · stampede
apparition
Visible supernatural manifestation
- phantomInsubstantial apparition
- specterGhostly threatening presence
- poltergeistDisruptive supernatural entity
haunt · wraith · spirit · shade · revenant · banshee · ectoplasm · manifestation · phantasm · incorporeal
espionage
Covert intelligence gathering
- CIAU.S. foreign intelligence service
- undercoverSecretly engaged in espionage
- operativeCovert field agent
intelligence · handler · asset · informant · counterintelligence · tradecraft · mole · clandestine · covert · infiltrate
frighten
Cause sudden alarm
surprise · unnerve · rattle · shock · jump · flinch · panic · bolt · stampede · shy
creepy
Disturbingly strange
- unsettlingCausing unease or discomfort
- chillingCausing fear or cold
- ominousSuggesting something bad approaches
sinister · uncanny · haunting · macabre · foreboding · ghoulish · eldritch · gothic · spectral · shadowy
costume
Clothing for portrayal
- trick-or-treatHalloween candy solicitation
- candySugary edible treats
- witchPractitioner of dark arts
vampire · skeleton · zombie · jack-o-lantern · cobweb · bat · scarecrow · cauldron · monster · mummy
- spiritghost, specter, phantom, apparition, soul
- supernatural beingsghost, demon, phantom, specter, banshee
- fear reactionsscream, scared, gasp, terrified, flinch
- ghostsapparitions, ghosts, apparition, phantoms, specter
- spiritsghost, vodka, rum, whiskey, brandy
- mind gamesmind game, head game, head games, mind games, intimidation
spookangel
Divine winged messenger
guardian angel · spirit guide · fairy godmother · saint · celestial being
spookdiplomat
Official foreign representative
public official · civilian · press secretary · ambassador · public servant
- spooky stories
- spooky seasonAutumn's eerie celebration period
- spook outCause unease or fear
- spooked out
spooky, spooked, spooks, spookier, spooking, spookily, spookiness, spookiest