Meaning & use
spirit
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The inner, non-physical part of a person that is thought to give them life, feeling and character.
Grammar: Usually singular and uncountable: the human spirit; a restless spirit.
Patterns
- the spirit of someone
- in spirit
She lost her husband, but her spirit stayed strong through the hardest year.
Though he could not attend, he was with us in spirit.
The poem celebrates the unbreakable spirit of ordinary people.
nouncountable or uncountable
A particular mood, attitude or atmosphere, or the general feeling that guides a group or an event.
Grammar: Often followed by of: the spirit of cooperation; plural spirits means mood: in high spirits.
Patterns
- the spirit of something
- in good spirits
- in the spirit of something
The whole team showed great spirit even after losing the match.
They shared the food in the spirit of friendship.
Everyone was in high spirits on the last day of school.
nouncountable
A supernatural being without a body, such as a ghost.
Grammar: Takes a plural: evil spirits; you can count them.
Patterns
- an evil spirit
- a spirit of something
In the old story, a friendly spirit lives in the well.
Some villagers believed that spirits walked the hills at night.
The medium claimed she could speak to the spirit of a dead sailor.
nounusually plural
A strong alcoholic drink made by distilling, such as gin, rum or whisky.
Grammar: Usually spirits in this sense: she doesn't drink spirits; spirit is also used as a mass noun in the trade.
Patterns
- a bottle of spirits
The shop sells wine, beer and spirits.
He prefers a glass of wine to hard spirits.
Import tax on spirits rose again this year.
Word forms
| plural | spirits |
|---|
Common combinations
- team spirit
- The coach worked hard to build team spirit.
- in high spirits
- The children were in high spirits on the trip.
- fighting spirit
- The small club showed real fighting spirit in the final.
- lift someone's spirits
- A phone call from her sister lifted her spirits.
- the spirit of the law
- The rule was followed in letter but not in the spirit of the law.
- kindred spirit
- I found a kindred spirit in my new neighbor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- soul
- Soul stresses the deep emotional or religious core of a person, while spirit often points to energy, courage or attitude.
- morale
- Morale describes the confidence of a group at a given time, whereas spirit can also mean a lasting character or a ghost.
- ghost
- Ghost refers only to the visible or sensed form of a dead person, while spirit is a broader, less spooky word.
- liquor
- Liquor is the more general American term for strong drink, while spirits stresses the distilled kind.
Opposites
Word family
- spiritual adjective
- relating to the soul or religion rather than physical things
- spirited adjective
- full of energy and determination
- spiritually adverb
- in a way that concerns the spirit or soul
- spiritualism noun
- the belief that the dead can communicate with the living
- dispirited adjective
- having lost hope or enthusiasm
Commonly confused: spirit or spirits?
spirit vs spirits
Spirits as a plural can mean mood, ghosts or strong alcohol, so check which sense the sentence needs.
Practice
Despite the long delay, the passengers stayed in good ___ and joked with the crew.
Choose one answer.
In good spirits is a fixed phrase meaning in a cheerful mood. Spiritual is an adjective and cannot follow good here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spirit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.