ghostwriter
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of ghostwriter
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
Explanation
Someone whose job involves drafting books, songs, or speeches that are credited to someone else is a ghostwriter. A movie star might pay a ghostwriter to pen her memoir, for example. If you don't want the bother of actually writing a book, but you like the idea of your name on its cover, you may want to hire a ghostwriter. Sometimes a ghostwriter gets credit for being a "researcher," but usually their name doesn't appear anywhere on the book, screenplay, or magazine article. Politicians sometimes employ ghostwriters to work on speeches, and celebrities routinely use ghostwriters to write "autobiographies."
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.
There’s no obvious reason the same distinctions shouldn’t apply when the ghostwriter is a machine rather than a human.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Davis has since backtracked, insisting the claims were bluster and were created by a ghostwriter to sell books.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
In March 2026, the classmate filed a civil lawsuit naming Griffin, ghostwriter Sam Lansky and the book’s publisher, alleging invasion of privacy, negligence and infliction of emotional distress.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
Former US President Joe Biden has sued the federal government to block the release of interviews with his memoir's ghostwriter, which he has described as "private information" but could contain embarrassing details about his memory.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
Grace was going to have to hire a ghostwriter.
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
