Spirits: meaning, definitions and examples

Often used in a general sense to refer to strong alcoholic beverages. It can also be used to describe the mood or morale in idiomatic expressions.

• He enjoys different kinds of spirits in his collection.
• She was in high spirits after hearing the good news.

Commonly used to refer to strong alcoholic drinks. It sometimes carries a casual or slightly negative connotation depending on the context.

• He grabbed a bottle of liquor from the store.
• She doesn't like the taste of strong liquor.

A broad term for beverages containing ethanol. It is commonly used in scientific contexts and everyday language to refer to any drink containing alcohol.

• Consuming too much alcohol can be harmful to your health.
• The sale of alcohol is restricted to people over 18.

Specifically refers to alcoholic beverages that have been purified through distillation, including vodka, whiskey, and rum. It's a more technical term.

• Distilled drinks like whiskey and vodka are popular at bars.
• The process of making distilled drinks involves heating and cooling.

Generally used in a broad sense to describe supernatural beings or ethereal entities. Often used in religious or philosophical discussions.

• Many cultures believe that spirits of ancestors watch over their descendants.
• The forest was said to be home to numerous spirits.

Commonly used to describe the soul or spirit of a dead person that appears to the living. Often associated with haunting.

• The old mansion is said to be haunted by ghosts.
• He told a scary story about ghosts appearing at midnight.

Usually refers to the sudden appearance of a ghost or ghost-like figure. Often used in the context of eerie or mysterious sightings.

• She claimed to have seen apparitions in the old house.
• The strange apparition disappeared as quickly as it had come.

Typically refers to something that is not real or is a figment of the imagination. Often used in a literary or artistic context.

• He chased phantoms that only existed in his mind.
• The phantom figure vanished as soon as the lights were turned on.