ghost town

American  

noun

1. a town permanently abandoned by its inhabitants, as because of a business decline or because a nearby mine has been worked out.

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ghost town British  

noun

1. a deserted town, esp one in the western US that was formerly a boom town

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ghost town Cultural  

1. A town, especially a boomtown in the old American West, that has been completely abandoned and deserted: “If you drive through the desert, you can still see the main street of Dry Gulch, a ghost town.”

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ghost town Idioms  

1. A once thriving town that has been completely abandoned, as in Many of the old mining communities are ghost towns now. This idiom implies that there are no living people left in town. [First half of 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of ghost town

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

But it has become a ghost town in recent months.

From Barron's

In recent months, that office has become a ghost town.

From Barron's

In recent months, that office has become a ghost town.

From Barron's

The deserted campground seemed eerie, like a ghost town.

From Literature

The deportations continued and the ghetto began to seem like a ghost town.

From Literature