phantom

American  

[fan-tuhm] / ˈfæn təm /

Or fantom

noun

1. an apparition or specter.

2. an appearance or illusion without material substance, as a dream image, mirage, or optical illusion.

3. a person or thing of merely illusory power, status, efficacy, etc..

   the phantom of fear.

4. an illustration, part of which is given a transparent effect so as to permit representation of details otherwise hidden from view, as the inner workings of a mechanical device.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or of the nature of a phantom; illusory.

   a phantom sea serpent.

   Synonyms:

   imaginary

   Antonyms:

   material, real

2. Electricity. noting or pertaining to a phantom circuit.

3. named, included, or recorded but nonexistent; fictitious.

   Payroll checks were made out and cashed for phantom employees.

phantom British  

/ ˈfæntəm /

noun

1. 1. an apparition or spectre

   2. ( as modifier )

      a phantom army marching through the sky

2. the visible representation of something abstract, esp as appearing in a dream or hallucination

   phantoms of evil haunted his sleep

3. something apparently unpleasant or horrific that has no material form

4. med another name for manikin

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Related Words

See apparition.

Other Word Forms

• phantomlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of phantom

1250–1300; Middle English fantosme < Middle French, Old French < Latin phantasma phantasm

Example Sentences

The phantom fleet of sanctioned vessels now numbers 1,300 ships, according to TankerTrackers.com, a ship-tracking website.

From The Wall Street Journal

Phantom of the Sea.A phantom is a ghost, you know.

From Literature

We stepped over toward the banks of the stream as we chatted, almost like he was a regular chum and not some phantom from the underworld.

From Literature

If the 300 billion figure is more phantom than real, it would mean that Venezuelan oil won’t pose nearly as much competition long-term to its closest competitor: Canadian heavy oil.

From Barron's

She said a year later the bottles were still in the backroom, suggesting the sales were phantom transactions.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• hallucination