ghostwriter

American

[gohst-rahy-ter] / ˈgoʊstˌraɪ tər /

Or ghost writer

noun

a person who writes one or numerous speeches, books, articles, etc., for another person who is named as or presumed to be the author.

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."

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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.

For the past week, I’ve been testing AI Inbox, along with the new Gemini-powered ghostwriter and editor coming soon to your Gmail account.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026

His ghostwriter, Dave Shiflett, later confessed that he regarded the book as “my first published work of fiction.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

She said the packager dropped her in 2011 and handed over her unpublished eighth instalment to an anonymous ghostwriter, who went on to publish two further Vampire Diaries books.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2025

“Look, ain’t nothing wrong with a ghostwriter, all right? My thing is, ghostwriters need to write authentically for the person. Ain’t no way you out here strapped like backpacks.”

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023