ghost
Americannoun
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ghosts
plural
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the soul of a dead person, a disembodied spirit imagined, usually as a vague, shadowy or evanescent form, as wandering among or haunting living persons.
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a mere shadow or semblance; a trace.
He's a ghost of his former self.
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a remote possibility.
He hasn't a ghost of a chance.
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(sometimes initial capital letter) a spiritual being.
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Informal. ghostwriter.
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a secondary image, especially one appearing on a television screen as a white shadow, caused by poor or double reception or by a defect in the receiver.
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Also called ghost image. Photography. a faint secondary or out-of-focus image in a photographic print or negative resulting from reflections within the camera lens.
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an oral word game in which each player in rotation adds a letter to those supplied by preceding players, the object being to avoid ending a word.
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Optics. a series of false spectral lines produced by a diffraction grating with unevenly spaced lines.
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Metalworking. a streak appearing on a freshly machined piece of steel containing impurities.
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a red blood cell having no hemoglobin.
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a fictitious employee, business, etc., fabricated especially for the purpose of manipulating funds or avoiding taxes.
Investigation showed a payroll full of ghosts.
verb (used with object)
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ghosts,
present (3rd person singular)
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ghosted,
past participle, past
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ghosting
present participle
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to ghostwrite (a book, speech, etc.).
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to haunt.
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Engraving. to lighten the background of (a photograph) before engraving.
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Informal.
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to suddenly end all contact with (a person) without explanation, especially in a romantic relationship.
The guy I’ve been dating ghosted me.
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to leave (a social event or gathering) suddenly without saying goodbye.
My friend ghosted my birthday party.
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Digital Technology. to remove (comments, threads, or other digital content) from a website or online forum without informing the poster, keeping them hidden from the public but still visible to the poster.
verb (used without object)
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ghosts,
present (3rd person singular)
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ghosted,
past participle, past
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ghosting
present participle
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to ghostwrite.
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to go about or move like a ghost.
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(of a sailing vessel) to move when there is no perceptible wind.
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to pay people for work not performed, especially as a way of manipulating funds.
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Informal.
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to suddenly end all contact with a person without explanation, especially in a romantic relationship.
They dated for a month and then she ghosted.
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to leave a social event or gathering suddenly without saying goodbye.
I'm getting tired so I think I might just ghost.
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Digital Technology. to remove comments, threads, or other digital content from a website or online forum without informing the poster, keeping them hidden from the public but still visible to the poster.
adjective
idioms
noun
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the disembodied spirit of a dead person, supposed to haunt the living as a pale or shadowy vision; phantom
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a haunting memory
the ghost of his former life rose up before him
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a faint trace or possibility of something; glimmer
a ghost of a smile
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the spirit; soul (archaic, except in the phrase the Holy Ghost )
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physics
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a faint secondary image produced by an optical system
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a similar image on a television screen, formed by reflection of the transmitting waves or by a defect in the receiver
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See ghost word
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Also called: ghost edition. an entry recorded in a bibliography of which no actual proof exists
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Another name for ghostwriter See ghostwrite
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(modifier) falsely recorded as doing a particular job or fulfilling a particular function in order that some benefit, esp money, may be obtained
a ghost worker
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to die
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(of a machine) to stop working
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verb
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See ghostwrite
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(tr) to haunt
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(intr) to move effortlessly and smoothly, esp unnoticed
he ghosted into the penalty area
Synonym Usage
Ghost, specter, spirit all refer to the disembodied soul of a person. A ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person, which appears or otherwise makes its presence known to the living: the ghost of a drowned child. A specter is a ghost or apparition of more or less weird, unearthly, or terrifying aspect: a frightening specter. Spirit is often interchangeable with ghost but may mean a supernatural being, usually with an indication of good or malign intent toward human beings: the spirit of a friend; an evil spirit.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ghostsimple
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ghostssimple
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have ghostedperfect
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has ghostedperfect
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am ghostingprogressive
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are ghostingprogressive
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is ghostingprogressive
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have been ghostingperfect progressive
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has been ghostingperfect progressive
Past
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ghostedsimple
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had ghostedperfect
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was ghostingprogressive
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were ghostingprogressive
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had been ghostingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ghost
First recorded before 900; Middle English goost (noun), Old English gāst; cognate with German Geist spirit
Explanation
A ghost is the spirit of a person who's died. In most stories and myths, ghosts are pale, translucent, and wispy. Throughout history, the idea that a person's soul or spirit can remain visible after her death has been common. Some of us long to see the ghost of a loved relative, while others are terrified of the very idea. From this main idea, the word ghost has also come to mean the hint or shade of something: "The ghost of a smile remained on her lips." The Old English root is gast, "spirit," and also "breath."
Vocabulary lists containing ghost
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Poltergeist” was, notably, a summertime Amblin release that similarly riffed on classic creature scares — updating dusty, old ghost tropes with new ideas — much like Mitchell does with his dino-time-travel extravaganza.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Gerber played a teenage ghost in the 2021 “Horror Stories” spinoff trapped inside the historic Rosenheim Mansion, also known as the Murder House from the first “American Horror Story” season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Turn the cover and the ghost disappears while the title remains, stubbornly insisting that this house has nobody in it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
“I call that ghost approval. Technically, you approved it,” Herres said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
It definitely wasn’t what had happened, because a moment later, after taking one satisfied bite of the shawarma, the ghost settled back on the bench and then vanished entirely.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
De Zerbi must banish the ghosts of two seasons littered with losses.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Songs float in and out like ghosts from a machine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The adults as much as the teenagers find themselves beset by doubts about their futures, haunted by the ghosts of their pasts, or agonizing over the thorny matter of God’s presence or absence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Hamilton was clearly not willing to dig up the ghosts of a race that still haunts him, but said: "Yeah, same as George said. Not really much more to add."
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Abuela replies, “Maybe Lorca’s ghost has met the ghosts of my ancestors.”
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
“Between ghost jobs and being ghosted, it was infuriating,” she said — referring to “ghost job” listings for positions that are either already filled or don’t really exist.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
“The other was for a retail position at a local Kohl’s, which ghosted me.”
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
Drean picked up Ramos's crossfield kick in acres of space to score before Gailleton ghosted in for the final try.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
In her first significant film role, Laruelle sharply conveys Perla’s fragile mental state as she gradually accepts that her boyfriend has ghosted her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2026
The wind had picked up, and the smell of rain ghosted through the air like dinner cooking.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
The primary driver of the narrative is an unnamed writer who has approached a famous actor — the M of the title — with the proposition of ghosting her autobiography.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
“The ghosting thing is a very real problem,” he said — adding that hasn’t seen any evidence that a cover letter improves the chances of a response for GigHQ users.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
But in 2026, not a single Hollywood blockbuster is programmed there, raising questions about why US studios are ghosting the event.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
The term ghosting is used in the dating world, and means to suddenly cut off contact with someone - but recruitment consultant Michael Jones believes it's becoming increasingly common for job applicants.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
The smile that had been ghosting across Miss Anderson’s face while Miss Preston admonished me drops off real quick, and Miss Anderson’s usual sourpuss face reappears.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
