as in scaring
to strike with fear
the sudden noise spooked her out of her skin
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Recent Examples of spooking
Big Tech's spending plans are spooking investors as of late, but these plans could also signal a buying opportunity, according to Canaccord Genuity.
—
Sarah Min, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026
Penn’s presence became a form of soft validation for a project that was already spooking investors, undermining private industry through expropriations, and hollowing out checks and balances.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
This may signal that condo laws are no longer spooking would-be buyers.
—Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 29 Dec. 2025
The increasingly circular nature of deals between key AI firms and the emergence of debt financing is also spooking investors, who are quick to draw comparisons to the dot-com bubble.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 27 Nov. 2025
For that same time period, Meta reported rapidly growing costs due to its AI investments, spooking investors and sending its stock down 9 percent.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
This week's headlines in the pet world left us crying tears of joy and sadness—from a puppy watching his mom and siblings get adopted before him to a clip of the Halloween season spooking a canine—but the week wouldn't be complete without a few highlights from our readers.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Constellation Brands, the beers’ parent company, warned in April that the president’s deportation push was spooking Latino customers and hurting beer sales.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
Food Network is spooking up its programming with the return of Halloween Wars and Halloween Baking Championship.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025
Sarah Min, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026
Penn’s presence became a form of soft validation for a project that was already spooking investors, undermining private industry through expropriations, and hollowing out checks and balances.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
This may signal that condo laws are no longer spooking would-be buyers.
—Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 29 Dec. 2025
The increasingly circular nature of deals between key AI firms and the emergence of debt financing is also spooking investors, who are quick to draw comparisons to the dot-com bubble.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 27 Nov. 2025
For that same time period, Meta reported rapidly growing costs due to its AI investments, spooking investors and sending its stock down 9 percent.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
This week's headlines in the pet world left us crying tears of joy and sadness—from a puppy watching his mom and siblings get adopted before him to a clip of the Halloween season spooking a canine—but the week wouldn't be complete without a few highlights from our readers.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Constellation Brands, the beers’ parent company, warned in April that the president’s deportation push was spooking Latino customers and hurting beer sales.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
Food Network is spooking up its programming with the return of Halloween Wars and Halloween Baking Championship.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooking
Verb
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According to Bloomberg, analysts are already antsy about increasing prices scaring away customers, particularly as the cost of living continues to rise.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
5 Feb. 2026
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Most of that money would go to compensate ranchers for cattle eaten by wolves and for guard dogs, scaring devices or other means to keep them away from livestock.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
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But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Like the strung-up coyotes, the Ghoul typically looks normal from afar but terrifying up close.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
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That’s terrifying on a whole different level.—
Will Harris,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spooking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooking. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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