the specter of (something)
idiom
: a notion or fear of something bad that might happen in the future
a nation alarmed/haunted by the specter of famine/war
News of the disease raised the specter of a possible plague.
Examples of the specter of (something) in a Sentence
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Barring a settlement, this season (at least) will be played under the specter of Sheel Seidler’s lawsuit against Matt and Robert Seidler, who have served as trustees of Peter Seidler’s trust.
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Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2025
The curators’ skittishness is understandable, for any mention of Friedrich vis-à-vis war calls up the specter of Nazism.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 5 Feb. 2025
Trump’s order includes a mechanism to escalate the rates charged by the U.S. against retaliation by the other countries, raising the specter of an even more severe economic disruption.
—Christopher Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025
The underlying heartbreak of Oakland losing the A’s, the empty Coliseum next door and the specter of moves to Sacramento and Las Vegas was for the most part kept in the background.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2025
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Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2025
The curators’ skittishness is understandable, for any mention of Friedrich vis-à-vis war calls up the specter of Nazism.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 5 Feb. 2025
Trump’s order includes a mechanism to escalate the rates charged by the U.S. against retaliation by the other countries, raising the specter of an even more severe economic disruption.
—Christopher Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025
The underlying heartbreak of Oakland losing the A’s, the empty Coliseum next door and the specter of moves to Sacramento and Las Vegas was for the most part kept in the background.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for the specter of (something)
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“The specter of (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20specter%20of%20%28something%29. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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