as in ghouls
a female spirit in Irish and Scottish stories who cries loudly to warn people that someone is going to die soon
claimed to have heard the terrifying wail of a banshee
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 banshees
His bronc riders look more like pietàs in mud; his barrel racers scream like banshees on horseback.
—
Casey Cep, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Casey Cep, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banshees
Noun
-
How will the weather affect the goblins, ghosts and ghouls in your neighborhood on Halloween evening?—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
-
But this Halloween, chasing away the ghouls haunting Tesla looks like a miracle too far.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Based on the book series The Mortal Instruments, the Freeform series follows a girl (Katherine McNamara) who descends from a long line of human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons.—
Kelsie Gibson,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Red must face his demons and pick up the bottle one last time to take down the monster and save his town for good.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Just in time for Halloween, the sonic phantoms that have long plagued the ladies of The View have seemingly possessed inanimate objects over on the Live With Kelly and Mark set.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Understanding neutrinos’ properties could help explain how how the universe formed, how stars evolve and whether neutrinos, which pass through the Earth and even our bodies like phantoms, are their own antiparticles.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Their story lines are connected by the Talamasca, a secret society that keeps tabs on the world’s vampires, witches, ghosts, and demons, like archivists and librarians trained in combat and engaged in spycraft.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
25 Oct. 2025
-
With good reason, as the history of this Louisiana city is filled with lore of witchcraft, voodoo, and even vampires.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Their story lines are connected by the Talamasca, a secret society that keeps tabs on the world’s vampires, witches, ghosts, and demons, like archivists and librarians trained in combat and engaged in spycraft.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Our resident puck-heads have always had a sweet spot for the old World Hockey Association and its myriad of ghosts.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Throughout modern history, visitors have reported ghostly apparitions according to Scary Stories of Mammoth Cave.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Over the years, those apparitions have become just as much of a fixture in the Palace as the ornamental turrets and columns.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Rather than hang out with the two old hags, Cherry decides to try her luck on the stand-up paddleboards with Brigitte and Daniel, but quickly loses her balance.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
For bones, spirits, and some menacing dolls, here’s where to go for a fright.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Budj Bim assigned the weeping she-oak (Casuarina) trees, whose whispering voices can be heard in the wind, to be the guardian spirits of the landscape.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Banshees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banshees. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share