ghouls

noun

plural of ghoul
as in demons
an evil spirit in Arabic folklore, ghouls could change their shapes but had one unchanging feature: donkey's hooves for feet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ghouls Gemma even winds up having to give a teeth cleaning to one of the silent, creepy ghouls pursuing her. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026 Night of the Living Dead centers all the action at a farmhouse, where seven people attempt to ward off the ghouls — without any prior knowledge of how to do so. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026 Created by a number of its stars, Ghosts originated on the BBC in 2019, following a group of ghouls from different historical periods haunting a country house while sharing the house with its new living occupants. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2026 Here was music that pushed the genre back to the realm of ghosts and ghouls, the ideal soundtrack for doing battle with Dracula on the spiral staircase of his manor. — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026 Even a half-century later, the undead ghouls that descend upon survivors in a Pennsylvania farm house are timeless and the gut-punch ending couldn't be more timely. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026 With Adam Roberts announcing the tempos on the baby grand piano, the ghouls in Tevye’s nightmare emerge from around the fourposter. — Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026 In his masterful first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, ghouls and spirits keep chattering away, as if at a corner barbershop, while Abraham Lincoln mourns his dead 11-year-old son, Willie. — Pico Iyer, Air Mail, 24 Jan. 2026 Its lead character is Harry Dresden, a professional wizard operating out of the city of Chicago in a world where ghouls, ghosts, werewolves and vampires exist in the shadows of modern society. — Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghouls
  1. demons
  2. ghosts
  3. vampires
  4. devils
Noun
  • But honestly, what got me the most excited was less about the supernatural concept of demons coming to this world.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026
  • As Capers endured a whirlwind of intense scrutiny during that time, he was forced to confront painful memories and long-dormant demons.
    — Ethan Rocke, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of demons
Noun
  • The official residence was the site of two bloody coup attempts in the 1930s, and legend has it that the building is haunted by ghosts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • However, for Penelope—and for myself—these ghosts are not liminal, but present.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of ghosts
Noun
  • Bedbugs are sometimes called the vampires of the insect world — hiding during the day and coming out at night to feast on human blood.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The show followed Buffy Summers, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, as a high school student who also saves the world from vampires and demons.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 31 July 2026
Definition of vampires
Noun
  • In 2025, two Tasmanian devils arrived at the Australian Outback exhibit.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026
  • Tasmanian devils suffer from Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD), a highly fatal cancer spread by biting, which has devastated their population and surprisingly arose twice.
    — John Drake, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of devils

Browse Nearby Words

ghoulishness
ghouls
GI
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ghouls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghouls. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of southpaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All