ghosting

American  

[goh-sting] / ˈgoʊ stɪŋ /

noun

1. the appearance of multiple copies or blurred representations of an object on a screen or in an image.

2. Informal.

   1. the practice of suddenly ending all contact with a person without explanation, often in a dating or romantic relationship.

      After several unanswered calls and texts to her, he concluded he’d been a victim of ghosting.

   2.  French leave.   Irish goodbye.  the act of leaving a social event or engagement suddenly and without saying goodbye.

      Ghosting might be the best option if we want to get home before midnight.

   3. the act or practice of abandoning a job without notice and refusing further contact.

      A labor shortage has contributed to ghosting in the workplace.

3. Digital Technology. the removal of comments, threads, or other content from a website or online forum without informing the poster, keeping them hidden from the public but still visible to the poster.

4. the act of adopting the identity of a dead person, especially someone relatively unknown, before the death has been recognized by the government, banks, etc..

   Sometimes ghosting can go on for months before the crime is detected.

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Etymology

Origin of ghosting

First recorded in 1955–60; ghost + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The social fallout can be tough, with the heaviest bettors sometimes ghosting friends entirely.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

Discovery WBD 4.41%increase; green up pointing triangle was in trouble when the company’s CEO, David Zaslav, started ghosting him.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025

It wasn’t quite ghosting; if I texted, he’d respond.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2025

The uptick in ghosting behavior from recruiters adds to the mental health toll job hunting can take.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2025

It had been such a rainy May, and the basement felt appropriately cryptlike: cobwebs around the doorframe ghosting our faces, that smell of dirt and rot and trapped air, and it was dark, totally dark.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth