ghost town

noun

: a once-flourishing town wholly or nearly deserted usually as a result of the exhaustion of some natural resource

Examples of ghost town in a Sentence

After all the gold was mined, the place became a ghost town.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The streets around Fenway Park, usually bustling in July, had become a ghost town. Justin Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025 Lyon Local Gems Photograph by Robert K. Chin / Alamy New York City is a ghost town of my favorite places, of treasured spots that no longer exist. Shauna Lyon, New Yorker, 9 May 2025 Pripyat — previous population 50,000 — was left a ghost town. Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025 Venture out on off-road adventures to nearby ghost towns and mining camps including the Burro Schmidt Tunnel, a .5-mile tunnel hand-dug through solid granite. Jenna Blough, Outside Online, 8 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ghost town

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ghost town was in 1894

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ghost town.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ghost%20town. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

ghost town

noun
: a town deserted because some natural resource has been used up

More from Merriam-Webster on ghost town

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!