phantom

American  

[fan-tuhm] / ˈfæn təm /

Or fantom

noun

1. an apparition or specter.

2. an appearance or illusion without material substance, as a dream image, mirage, or optical illusion.

3. a person or thing of merely illusory power, status, efficacy, etc..

   the phantom of fear.

4. an illustration, part of which is given a transparent effect so as to permit representation of details otherwise hidden from view, as the inner workings of a mechanical device.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or of the nature of a phantom; illusory.

   a phantom sea serpent.

   Synonyms:

   imaginary

   Antonyms:

   material, real

2. Electricity. noting or pertaining to a phantom circuit.

3. named, included, or recorded but nonexistent; fictitious.

   Payroll checks were made out and cashed for phantom employees.

phantom British  

/ ˈfæntəm /

noun

1. 1. an apparition or spectre

   2. ( as modifier )

      a phantom army marching through the sky

2. the visible representation of something abstract, esp as appearing in a dream or hallucination

   phantoms of evil haunted his sleep

3. something apparently unpleasant or horrific that has no material form

4. med another name for manikin

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Related Words

See apparition.

Other Word Forms

• phantomlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of phantom

1250–1300; Middle English fantosme < Middle French, Old French < Latin phantasma phantasm

Explanation

Look over there, across the room. Is that a phantom, some weary soul come back from the dead to haunt you? Maybe it’s a shadow, or maybe it’s a ghost. Either way, turn on a light and it’ll disappear. Hopefully. Sleeping is difficult if there’s a phantom in your room, because who can rest with ghosts around? Some phantoms are real, but phantom can also be used to mean "a trick of the mind," like hearing a person outside your window, but then realizing it’s only the phantom rustling of leaves in a tree. Phantom limb is when someone loses an arm or leg, but their brain can still feel where their limb used to be.

Example Sentences

"The callous way in which you walked away from the mayhem was sickening to watch. You blamed a phantom driver."

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

If the 300 billion figure is more phantom than real, it would mean that Venezuelan oil won’t pose nearly as much competition long-term to its closest competitor: Canadian heavy oil.

From Barron's • Jan. 6, 2026

Then in September, Miami received an inquiry from a reporter about the phantom weights.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

The smell of dust and toner mixed with the butter-fat perfume of whatever phantom feast I was imagining.

From Salon • Oct. 14, 2025

“Daniel Ellsberg, a former State Department and Pentagon planner, and of late something of a phantom figure, agreed today to be interviewed at a secret location.”

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• hallucination