ghostwrite

verb

ghost·​write ˈgōs(t)-ˌrīt 

ghostwrote ˈgōs(t)-ˌrōt  ; ghostwritten ˈgōs(t)-ˌri-tᵊn 

intransitive verb

: to write for and in the name of another

transitive verb

: to write (a speech, a book, etc.) for another who is the presumed or credited author

ghostwriter noun

Examples of ghostwrite in a Sentence

She was hired to ghostwrite the mayor's autobiography.

Recent Examples on the Web

For over a century, scholars had argued that Molière could not have written some of his best work due to his lack of education, suggesting instead that his plays had been ghostwritten by the poet Pierre Corneille. —Julia Webster Ayuso, The Dial, 21 Nov. 2024

Bethany Joy Lenz’s Revealing Memoir and More Difficult Girls is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication from Bane, who has always dreamed of publishing under her own name after ghostwriting over 20 books for others. —Toria Sheffield, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024

They’re used to writing their own features. Davis: And have pride in never being ghostwritten. —Joe Lynch, Billboard, 18 Oct. 2024

Bane, who has ghostwritten everything from celebrity memoirs to New York Times bestsellers, will be coming out with her debut novel, Difficult Girls, from Penguin Random House in summer 2025 — and PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the cover. —Toria Sheffield, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from ghostwriter

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

ghostwrite

verb

ghost·​write ˈgō-ˌstrīt 

ghostwrote -ˌstrōt  ; ghostwritten -ˌstrit-ᵊn  ; ghostwriting

-ˌstrīt-iŋ

: to write for and in the name of another

ghostwriter noun