ghost
Americannoun
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ghosts
plural
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the soul of a dead person, a disembodied spirit imagined, usually as a vague, shadowy or evanescent form, as wandering among or haunting living persons.
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a mere shadow or semblance; a trace.
He's a ghost of his former self.
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a remote possibility.
He hasn't a ghost of a chance.
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(sometimes initial capital letter) a spiritual being.
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Informal. ghostwriter.
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a secondary image, especially one appearing on a television screen as a white shadow, caused by poor or double reception or by a defect in the receiver.
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Also called ghost image. Photography. a faint secondary or out-of-focus image in a photographic print or negative resulting from reflections within the camera lens.
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an oral word game in which each player in rotation adds a letter to those supplied by preceding players, the object being to avoid ending a word.
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Optics. a series of false spectral lines produced by a diffraction grating with unevenly spaced lines.
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Metalworking. a streak appearing on a freshly machined piece of steel containing impurities.
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a red blood cell having no hemoglobin.
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a fictitious employee, business, etc., fabricated especially for the purpose of manipulating funds or avoiding taxes.
Investigation showed a payroll full of ghosts.
verb (used with object)
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ghosts,
present (3rd person singular)
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ghosted,
past participle, past
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ghosting
present participle
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to ghostwrite (a book, speech, etc.).
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to haunt.
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Engraving. to lighten the background of (a photograph) before engraving.
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Informal.
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to suddenly end all contact with (a person) without explanation, especially in a romantic relationship.
The guy I’ve been dating ghosted me.
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to leave (a social event or gathering) suddenly without saying goodbye.
My friend ghosted my birthday party.
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Digital Technology. to remove (comments, threads, or other digital content) from a website or online forum without informing the poster, keeping them hidden from the public but still visible to the poster.
verb (used without object)
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ghosts,
present (3rd person singular)
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ghosted,
past participle, past
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ghosting
present participle
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to ghostwrite.
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to go about or move like a ghost.
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(of a sailing vessel) to move when there is no perceptible wind.
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to pay people for work not performed, especially as a way of manipulating funds.
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Informal.
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to suddenly end all contact with a person without explanation, especially in a romantic relationship.
They dated for a month and then she ghosted.
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to leave a social event or gathering suddenly without saying goodbye.
I'm getting tired so I think I might just ghost.
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Digital Technology. to remove comments, threads, or other digital content from a website or online forum without informing the poster, keeping them hidden from the public but still visible to the poster.
adjective
idioms
noun
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the disembodied spirit of a dead person, supposed to haunt the living as a pale or shadowy vision; phantom
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a haunting memory
the ghost of his former life rose up before him
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a faint trace or possibility of something; glimmer
a ghost of a smile
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the spirit; soul (archaic, except in the phrase the Holy Ghost )
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physics
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a faint secondary image produced by an optical system
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a similar image on a television screen, formed by reflection of the transmitting waves or by a defect in the receiver
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See ghost word
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Also called: ghost edition. an entry recorded in a bibliography of which no actual proof exists
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Another name for ghostwriter See ghostwrite
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(modifier) falsely recorded as doing a particular job or fulfilling a particular function in order that some benefit, esp money, may be obtained
a ghost worker
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to die
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(of a machine) to stop working
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verb
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See ghostwrite
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(tr) to haunt
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(intr) to move effortlessly and smoothly, esp unnoticed
he ghosted into the penalty area
Synonym Usage
Ghost, specter, spirit all refer to the disembodied soul of a person. A ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person, which appears or otherwise makes its presence known to the living: the ghost of a drowned child. A specter is a ghost or apparition of more or less weird, unearthly, or terrifying aspect: a frightening specter. Spirit is often interchangeable with ghost but may mean a supernatural being, usually with an indication of good or malign intent toward human beings: the spirit of a friend; an evil spirit.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ghostsimple
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ghostssimple
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have ghostedperfect
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has ghostedperfect
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am ghostingprogressive
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are ghostingprogressive
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is ghostingprogressive
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have been ghostingperfect progressive
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has been ghostingperfect progressive
Past
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ghostedsimple
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had ghostedperfect
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was ghostingprogressive
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were ghostingprogressive
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had been ghostingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ghost
First recorded before 900; Middle English goost (noun), Old English gāst; cognate with German Geist spirit
Explanation
A ghost is the spirit of a person who's died. In most stories and myths, ghosts are pale, translucent, and wispy. Throughout history, the idea that a person's soul or spirit can remain visible after her death has been common. Some of us long to see the ghost of a loved relative, while others are terrified of the very idea. From this main idea, the word ghost has also come to mean the hint or shade of something: "The ghost of a smile remained on her lips." The Old English root is gast, "spirit," and also "breath."
Vocabulary lists containing ghost
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.
See Examples For:
“Last Day of a Prior Life,” also translated by Ms. Dillman, is a somewhat more formal exercise—a classic ghost story joined to a psychological mystery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
That means you can have decades of spotless credit in America and still be a ghost to a financial institution in another country.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
"The risk is very real," says the boss of the Signal Foundation, which runs the encrypted messaging app of the same name, "but it's not the shiny ghost stories the wild-eyed boys are talking about".
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
An incinerator scheme to help clean up the ecological catastrophe turned out to be a vast multi-million-dollar scam that included a "ghost" incinerator for the capital Tirana that was never built.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Nearly everyone in the train car was a ghost, and their apparent lack of interest in Boaz seemed to be more a function of the fact that they thought he could not see them.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
But the cultural fandom for ghosts is not as intense as it is for vampires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
The exhibition is organized into six themed “chambers” devoted to Gothic horror, psychological horror, science, slashers, religion and ghosts, with settings ranging from a shadowy crypt to a killer’s house and a haunted living room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Under the "ghosts of predators past" hypothesis, pronghorns became exceptionally fast because they evolved alongside a cheetah-like predator capable of high-speed pursuit.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
Might someone sign the ghosts of the Four Horsemen of 1924?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Abuela replies, “Maybe Lorca’s ghost has met the ghosts of my ancestors.”
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
When Amie tried to contact the "broker" after realising she had been scammed, she said he "ghosted" her.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
“Between ghost jobs and being ghosted, it was infuriating,” she said — referring to “ghost job” listings for positions that are either already filled or don’t really exist.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
It was a bit of a buzzkill, so I just gave up on him — and ghosted him.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
“The other was for a retail position at a local Kohl’s, which ghosted me.”
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
“You won’t. That’s why you ghosted on him?”
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
“The ghosting thing is a very real problem,” he said — adding that hasn’t seen any evidence that a cover letter improves the chances of a response for GigHQ users.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
I matched with a Glen Powell type again, 10 years after ghosting him.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
But in 2026, not a single Hollywood blockbuster is programmed there, raising questions about why US studios are ghosting the event.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
Ontario is also moving to tackle the separate recruitment issue of "ghosting", whereby companies don't reply to applicants.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025
The smile that had been ghosting across Miss Anderson’s face while Miss Preston admonished me drops off real quick, and Miss Anderson’s usual sourpuss face reappears.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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