I. spir ‧ it 1 S2 W2 /ˈspɪrət, ˈspɪrɪt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Anglo-French ; Origin: Latin spiritus 'breath, spirit' ]
1 . CHARACTER [singular, uncountable] the qualities that make someone live the way they do, and make them different from other people
in spirit
I’m 85, but I still feel young in spirit.
independent/proud/free etc spirit (=a person with a particular type of character)
She is a strong and independent spirit.
⇨ kindred spirit at ↑ kindred 2 (1)
2 . HAPPY/SAD spirits [plural] the way someone feels at a particular time, for example if they are happy or sad ⇨ mood
be in good/high spirits (=be excited and happy)
Cooper was still in high spirits after winning the race.
His spirits were so low (=he was so sad) that he refused to answer his phone.
raise/lift sb’s spirits (=make someone happier)
The warm morning sun lifted our spirits.
She wrote poetry while she was in the hospital to keep her spirits up (=keep happy) .
sb’s spirits rise/lift/sink (=they become more or less happy)
My spirits sank when I saw the mess they’d left.
3 . SOUL [countable] the part of someone that you cannot see, that consists of the qualities that make up their character, which many people believe continues to live after the person has died ⇨ soul :
Although Laurie is dead, I can feel his spirit with me.
4 . NO BODY [countable] a creature without a physical body that some people believe exists, such as an ↑ angel or a dead person, who has returned to this world and has strange or magical powers ⇨ ghost :
an evil spirit
5 . DETERMINATION [uncountable] courage, energy, and determination – used to show approval:
Sandra is small, but she makes up for it with great spirit.
a young team with strong fighting spirit
When they took away his freedom, they broke his spirit (=made him lose his courage) .
6 . ATTITUDE [singular, uncountable] the attitude that you have towards something or while you are doing something:
You’ve got to approach this meeting in the right spirit.
spirit of
the spirit of cooperation between the two sides
7 . team/community/public etc spirit a strong feeling of belonging to a particular group and wanting to help them
8 . TYPICAL QUALITIES [countable usually singular] the set of ideas, beliefs, feelings etc that are typical of a particular period in history, a place, or a group of people
spirit of
Tourism has not destroyed the spirit of Bali.
the spirit of the age/times
His beliefs conflicted with the spirit of the age.
9 . in spirit if you say you will be somewhere in spirit or with someone in spirit, you will not be with them but will be thinking about them:
I can’t come to your wedding, but I’ll be there in spirit.
10 . get/enter into the spirit (of something) to start to feel as happy, excited etc as the people around you:
Judith couldn’t really enter into the spirit of the occasion.
11 . INTENTION [uncountable] the meaning or qualities that someone intended something to have, especially the meaning that a law or rule was intended to have:
Thoreau believed that his actions were in the spirit of American institutions.
Miller’s actions may not be actually illegal, but they have violated the spirit of the law.
⇨ the letter of the law at ↑ letter 1 (4)
12 . the Spirit the ↑ Holy Spirit
13 . DRINK [countable usually plural]
a) especially British English a strong alcoholic drink such as ↑ whisky or ↑ brandy
b) British English liquid such as alcohol, used for cleaning
14 . that’s the spirit spoken used to express approval of someone’s behaviour or attitude
15 . when/as the spirit moves you when you feel that you want to do something
16 . the spirit is willing (but the flesh is weak) used when saying that you want to do something, but you are too tired or do not feel strong enough – often used humorously
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ adjectives
▪ high/good (=used when saying that someone is happy and excited)
The players were all in high spirits.
▪ low/flagging (=used when saying that someone is sad)
She was tired and her spirits were low.
■ verbs
▪ lift/raise/revive sb’s spirits (=make them feel happier)
A brisk walk helped to lift my spirits.
▪ keep sb’s spirits up (=keep them feeling happy)
He wrote home often, trying to keep his family’s spirits up.
▪ dampen sb’s spirits (=make them feel less happy)
They refused to let the rain dampen their spirits.
▪ sb’s spirits rise/lift/soar (=they start feeling happier)
Her spirits rose as they left the ugliness of London behind.
▪ sb’s spirits sink (=they start feeling less happy)
His spirits sank at the prospect.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ ghost the spirit of a dead person that some people think they can feel or see in a place:
His ghost is believed to haunt the house.
▪ spirit a creature without a physical body, such as an angel or ghost:
evil spirits
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the spirit world
▪ apparition an image of a dead person that someone sees suddenly for a short time:
He claimed to have seen an apparition in the church.
▪ poltergeist a ghost that people cannot see, which throws things or moves things around:
The house was haunted by a poltergeist that makes things move around all by themselves, sometimes quite big things like beds or wardrobes.
▪ spook informal a ghost:
I’m not scared of spooks.
▪ phantom literary a frightening and unclear image of a dead person:
They had seen phantoms gliding on the surface of the water.
▪ spectre British English , specter American English literary a ghost, especially a frightening one:
She had looked like a spectre.
|
The following night, the spectre appeared again.
II. spirit 2 BrE AmE verb
spirit somebody/something away/off phrasal verb written
to take someone or something away quickly and secretly:
After his speech, Jackson was spirited away through a back door.