ghost

[ gohst ]

noun

1. 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.

   Synonyms: spook, shade, revenant, wraith, phantasm, phantom, apparition

2. a mere shadow or semblance; a trace:

   He's a ghost of his former self.

3. a remote possibility:

   He hasn't a ghost of a chance.

4. (sometimes initial capital letter) a spiritual being.
5. the principle of life; soul; spirit.
6. Informal. ghostwriter.
7. 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.
8. Also called ghost im·age [gohst, im-ij]. Photography. a faint secondary or out-of-focus image in a photographic print or negative resulting from reflections within the camera lens.
9. 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.
10. Optics. a series of false spectral lines produced by a diffraction grating with unevenly spaced lines.
11. Metalworking. a streak appearing on a freshly machined piece of steel containing impurities.
12. a red blood cell having no hemoglobin.
13. 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)

1. to ghostwrite (a book, speech, etc.).
2. to haunt.
3. Engraving. to lighten the background of (a photograph) before engraving.
4. Informal.
   1. to suddenly end all contact with (a person) without explanation, especially in a romantic relationship:

      The guy I’ve been dating ghosted me.

   2. to leave (a social event or gathering) suddenly without saying goodbye:

      My friend ghosted my birthday party.

5. 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)

1. to ghostwrite.
2. to go about or move like a ghost.
3. (of a sailing vessel) to move when there is no perceptible wind.
4. to pay people for work not performed, especially as a way of manipulating funds.
5. Informal.
   1. to suddenly end all contact with a person without explanation, especially in a romantic relationship:

      They dated for a month and then she ghosted.

   2. to leave a social event or gathering suddenly without saying goodbye:

      I'm getting tired so I think I might just ghost.

6. 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

1. fabricated for purposes of deception or fraud:

   We were making contributions to a ghost company.

ghost

/ ɡəʊst /

noun

1. the disembodied spirit of a dead person, supposed to haunt the living as a pale or shadowy vision; phantom spectral
2. a haunting memory

   the ghost of his former life rose up before him

3. a faint trace or possibility of something; glimmer

   a ghost of a smile

4. the spirit; soul (archaic, except in the phrase the Holy Ghost )
5. physics
   1. a faint secondary image produced by an optical system
   2. a similar image on a television screen, formed by reflection of the transmitting waves or by a defect in the receiver
6. See ghost word
   See ghost word
7. Also calledghost edition an entry recorded in a bibliography of which no actual proof exists
8. See ghostwrite
   Another name for ghostwriter See ghostwrite
9. 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

10. give up the ghost
    give up the ghost
    1. to die
    2. (of a machine) to stop working

verb

1. See ghostwrite
   See ghostwrite
2. tr to haunt
3. intr to move effortlessly and smoothly, esp unnoticed

   he ghosted into the penalty area

Derived Forms

• ˈghostˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• ghost·i·ly adverb
• ghost·like adjective
• de·ghost verb (used with object)
• un·ghost·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ghost¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English goost (noun), Old English gāst; cognate with German Geist spirit

Word History and Origins

Origin of ghost¹

Old English gāst; related to Old Frisian jēst, Old High German geist spirit, Sanskrit hēda fury, anger

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. give up the ghost,
   1. to die.
   2. to cease to function or exist.

More idioms and phrases containing ghost

In addition to the idiom beginning with ghost , also see Chinaman's (ghost of a) chance ; give up the ghost .

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

The expansion of ghost kitchens was well underway before the pandemic.

From Eater

The spread of third-party delivery apps and ghost kitchens means that many customers largely interact with restaurants through apps, not the restaurants directly.

From Eater

New “ghost kitchens,” or delivery-only restaurants capitalizing on the rise of Grubhub and UberEats, popped up, many specializing in wings.

From Washington Post

Last year police in New York state arrested an Army drone operator and alleged Boogaloo Boi on charges that he owned an illegal ghost gun.

From ProPublica

Group Nine has been thinking about expanding further in this direction by leveraging the ghost kitchen it launched through Thrillist back in December.

From Digiday

The well, ghost or no ghost, is certainly a piece of history with a bold presence.

From The Daily Beast

Now, she says, her coworkers are actively pranking each other and blaming it on the ghost.

From The Daily Beast

First, the ghost of his departed partner, Jacob Marley, comes calling, his face emerging from the doorknob.

From The Daily Beast

As Monday turned to Tuesday morning, five hostages had escaped and the Central Business District had turned into a ghost town.

From The Daily Beast

The ghost writer in question is assumed to be one Siobhan Curham—an established author of both YA and adult fiction.

From The Daily Beast

T least, thet's all I think 't wuz; though thar wuz those thet said 't wuz Claiborne's ghost.

From Project Gutenberg

Meanwhile Fleurette had her nourishing food, and grew more like the ghost of a lily every day.

From Project Gutenberg

Our poor planet will be but a silent ghost whirling on its dark path in the starlight.

From Project Gutenberg

For a moment there was no consciousness in their gaze; then a whimsical ghost of a smile crept about his mouth.

From Project Gutenberg

Now it will be as well here to inquire what good has ever resulted from this belief in what is commonly understood to be a ghost?

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• demon
• devil
• phantom
• shadow
• soul
• specter
• vampire
• vision