ghost story

American  

noun

1. a tale in which such elements as ghostly visitations and supernatural intervention are used to further the plot and a chilling, suspenseful atmosphere.

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Etymology

Origin of ghost story

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

“Presence” was a ghost story about teenage loneliness, filmed from the perspective of a spirit haunting the house a grieving family has just moved into.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026

And that’s fitting, of course, for a ghost story.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

Toni Morrison, whose “Beloved” changed me when I first read it as a teen, showed me how a novel can be ghost story, reckoning, testimony and lullaby all at once.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2025

In a time of twisty, “prestige” supernatural horror, the good, old-fashioned ghost story has fallen by the wayside.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2025

The way she told it—even now, six years later—freaked me out worse than any ghost story I’d ever heard.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan