phantom stock

American

noun

an employee bonus expressed as the cash value of a specified amount of company stock to be received at a future date, meant to create employee interest in raising stock prices without giving any stock away.

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.

News Corp tried to put together a "phantom stock" for Myspacers but that didn't work and lasted only a year.

From Reuters • Apr. 7, 2011

Fifth Third spokesman Debra DeCourcy said a portion of the base salary included "phantom stock," shares that have been granted to him, but that he cannot sell until 2011.

From Reuters • Apr. 5, 2010

Some favorites: reimbursement for entertaining at home, consultation with company lawyers and "phantom" stock options, which have no expiration date.

From Time Magazine Archive

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