phantom limb

British

noun

the illusion that a limb still exists following its amputation, sometimes with pain ( phantom limb pain )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

It is a status symbol, rite of passage and phantom limb wrapped into one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Neuropathic pain resulting from damage to the nervous system, such as stroke and phantom limb pain, often doesn't respond to available treatments and can significantly impair physical and emotional function and quality of life.

From Salon • May 24, 2023

The fourth had so-called phantom limb pain after losing a leg.

From New York Times • May 22, 2023

Charlie was used to this feeling; a side-sleeper, he always passed out on his left arm and woke with a floppy, phantom limb.

From Slate • Aug. 27, 2022

Now that I recognized Yakov’s dybbuk for what it was, I could feel him stirring inside of me like a phantom limb.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

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