26984 words

spirit

17 definitions • 31 examples
1
a particular way of thinking, feeling, or behaving, especially a way that is typical of a particular group of people, an activity, a time, or a place:

Examples:

team spirit The players have a very strong team spirit (= loyalty to each other).
spirit of the age/times As rock musicians in the 1960s, they were very much part of the spirit of the age/times.
in a spirit of We acted in a spirit of cooperation.
2
the way a person is feeling, or that people in general are feeling:

Examples:

in high/low spirits I've been in high/low spirits (= feeling happy/sad) lately.
3
a person feels much happier or people in general feel much happier:

Examples:

As soon as I left the house and drove away, my spirits soared.
Once he had reached the halfway point of the walk, his spirits soared.
Our spirits soared when we heard his voice at the end of the line.
Spirits soared as she scored the equalizer.
In my experience, mountains set the spirits soaring like nothing else.
4
the principle that a law, rule, etc. was created to make stronger, rather than the particular things it says you must or must not do:

Examples:

They followed neither the spirit nor the letter of the law.
5
to show enthusiasm and enjoyment:

Examples:

They went to the tennis club a few times but never really got into the spirit of it.
6
used to approve or encourage someone's positive attitude (= way of thinking) or action:

Examples:

"Come on, we can win this game." "That's the spirit."
7
the characteristics of a person that are considered as being separate from the body, and that many religions believe continue to exist after the body dies:

Examples:

in spirit Although he's now living in America, I feel he's with me in spirit (= I feel he is present and is influencing me, in a way that is not physical).
8
the form of a dead person, similar to a ghost, or the feeling that a dead person is present although you cannot see them:

Examples:

an evil spirit
The spirits of long-dead warriors seemed to haunt the area.
9

Examples:

with spirit The orchestra performed The Rite of Spring with great spirit.
break someone's spirit The torture failed to break the prisoner's spirit.
10

Examples:

Vodka is a type of spirit.
Spirits are more expensive than beer, but they get you drunk faster.
11
Some types of spirit are alcoholic liquids used especially for cleaning, mixing with paint, etc.:

Examples:

white spirit Thin the paint with white spirit.
12
to move someone or something out of or away from a place secretly:

Examples:

Somehow the prisoners managed to spirit news out to the world outside.
We managed to spirit her away to the countryside for a few days.
Criminals bought the jewels and spirited them off the island.
My task was to get hold of the documents and spirit them out of the country.
The only way to protect the boy was to spirit him away from his home town.
13
a state of mind or attitude:

Examples:

It’s very important to play the game in the right spirit.
Rock music in the 1960s expressed the spirit of the times.
14
the inner character of a person, thought of as different from the material person we can see and touch:

Examples:

[ U ] All her life she remained young in spirit, bubbling with ideas.
[ C ] It is a belief of many religions that your spirit lives on after your body dies.
15
A spirit is also something that can be felt to be present but cannot be seen, similar to a ghost.
16

Examples:

The orchestra performed the symphony with great spirit.
17
to move someone or something secretly:

Examples:

[ M ] Everyone wonders who spirited away the body.

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