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# spook

«spook» in Mova's school dictionary: **a ghost** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a spook, spooks); verb (spook, spooks, spooked, spooking); adjective spooky

### meaning for a pupil

1) (informal) A spook is a ghost. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spook/#m1)

2) To spook someone or an animal is to frighten or startle them suddenly. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spook/#m2)

3) (informal, US) A spook is a spy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spook/#m3)

4) (offensive) "Spook" has also been used as a nasty insult for Black people; it should not be used about people. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spook/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In stories and at Halloween, spooks and spooky houses are fun scary things. In nature and farm life, a sudden noise can spook a horse, which may bolt; that is a safety point around horses. In spy stories, spooks are secret agents.

### examples

- The old house was said to be full of spooks. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spook/#x1)
- The loud bang spooked the horse and it ran off. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spook/#x2)
- Don't creep up behind me — you spooked me! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spook/#x3)
- We dressed up as spooks for Halloween. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spook/#x4)
- The film was about spooks working for the secret service. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spook/#x5)
- The cat was spooked by its own reflection. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spook/#x6)
- Walk calmly near horses so you don't spook them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spook/#x7)

### note

Adjective: spooky ("a spooky story"). Usually informal. The insult sense is offensive and must never be used. "Spooked" means suddenly frightened.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «spook» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spook/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.