Meaning of spirit in English

spirit

noun

/ˈspɪr.ɪt/ us

/ˈspɪr.ət/

spirit noun (WAY OF FEELING)

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:

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.

spirits B2 [ plural ]

the way a person is feeling:

in high/low spirits I've been in high/low spirits (= feeling happy/sad) lately.

the spirit of a law, rule, etc.

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:

They followed neither the spirit nor the letter of the law.

enter/get into the spirit

to show enthusiasm and enjoyment:

They went to the tennis club a few times but never really got into the spirit of it.

that's the spirit

used to approve or encourage someone's positive attitude (= way of thinking) or action:

"Come on, we can win this game." "That's the spirit."

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The presence of so many outsiders has ruined the community spirit.
I could never play team sports - I lack the competitive spirit .
There is a spirit of defeatism among some members of the party.
She'll make money - she's got that entrepreneurial spirit.
Our football coach has worked hard to inculcate a team spirit into the players.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Feelings - general words

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spirit noun (NOT BODY)

C1 [ U ]

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:

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).

B2 [ C ]

the form of a dead person, similar to a ghost, or the feeling that a dead person is present although you cannot see them:

an evil spirit

The spirits of long-dead warriors seemed to haunt the area.

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After the priest exorcized the spirit/house/child, apparently, the strange noises stopped.
She claims to have occult powers, given to her by some mysterious spirit.
This place is visited by the spirits of the dead.
Her spirit haunts the house.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Mind and personality

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Souls, spirits & ghosts

spirit noun (ENTHUSIASM)

[ U ] approving

enthusiasm, energy, or courage:

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.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Excitement, interest, energy and enthusiasm

alacrity
animation
ardour
avidity
boosterism
commotion
flirtation
frenzy
friskiness
frisson
frolic
get a buzz out of something/doing something
hubbub
page-turner
pep
perkiness
physicality
piquancy
whirl
zealousness

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spirit noun (ALCOHOL)

C1 [ C or U ]

a strong alcoholic drink:

Vodka is a type of spirit.

Spirits are more expensive than beer, but they get you drunk faster.

[ U ]

Some types of spirit are alcoholic liquids used especially for cleaning, mixing with paint, etc.:

white spirit Thin the paint with white spirit.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Spirits & distilling

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Cleaning agents

Idioms

as, if, when, etc. the spirit moves someone

the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak

spirit

verb

/ˈspɪr.ɪt/ us

/ˈspɪr.ət/

spirit someone/something away, off, out, etc.

to move someone or something out of or away from a place secretly:

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.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Transferring and transporting objects

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Moving to avoid being seen

(Definition of spirit from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

spirit | American Dictionary

spirit

noun

/ˈspɪr·ɪt/

spirit noun (STATE OF MIND)

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[ U ]

a state of mind or attitude:

It’s very important to play the game in the right spirit.

Rock music in the 1960s expressed the spirit of the times.

spirit noun (INNER CHARACTER)

[ C/U ]

the inner character of a person, thought of as different from the material person we can see and touch:

[ 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.

[ C/U ]

A spirit is also something that can be felt to be present but cannot be seen, similar to a ghost.

spirit noun (ENTHUSIASM)

[ U ]

enthusiasm and energy:

The orchestra performed the symphony with great spirit.

spirit

verb [ T always + adv/prep ]

/ˈspɪr·ɪt/

spirit verb [T always + adv/prep] (MOVE)

to move someone or something secretly:

[ M ] Everyone wonders who spirited away the body.

(Definition of spirit from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of spirit

spirit

This single unified spirit is accorded multiple roles.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

As against professionalism, then, politeness was allied with the spirit of the amateur.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

It is also true to the spirit of things.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Talent is perhaps closest in spirit to gate.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Finally, the term also referred to the human soul as well as the "vital spirit" of all living things.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

But it was unscholarly, in the sense that doubtful and questionable matter was accepted in an uncritical spirit and interspersed among documents of reliable authenticity.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

One result of the modern spirit is that particular fields of inquiry are segregated.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The spirits are also believed significantly to influence life in the human world through their ability to afflict humans with all manner of diseases.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Ecological theory is already very close in spirit to economics.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The spirit displayed a scroll containing a lengthy summary of his expedition.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

It was in that spirit that we undertook our task.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In the beginning, he and his fellow worshippers truly ranked among the poor in spirit as well as in material goods.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The idea is thus close in spirit to the proposals described above.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

He often spoke about the "human spirit" as a positive force that should be protected and respected.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Accounts of visits to mediums were often characterized by highly emotive descriptions of meetings with spirits or messages from the other side.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of spirit

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.