ghost

1 of 2

noun

plural ghosts
1
: the seat of life or intelligence : soul
give up the ghost
2
: a disembodied soul
especially : the soul of a dead person believed to be an inhabitant of the unseen world or to appear to the living in bodily likeness
3
4
a
: a faint shadowy trace
a ghost of a smile
b
: the least bit
not a ghost of a chance
5
: a false image in a photographic negative or on a television screen caused especially by reflection
6
: one who ghostwrites
7
: a red blood cell that has lost its hemoglobin
ghostlike adjective
ghosty adjective

ghost

2 of 2

verb

ghosted; ghosting; ghosts

transitive verb

1
: to haunt like a ghost
2
: ghostwrite
ghosted the mayor's autobiography
3
informal : to cut off all contact with (someone) abruptly and usually without explanation : to subject (someone, such as a former romantic partner) to ghosting see ghosting sense 2
No one wants to be ghosted, mostly because it sucks to admit that the person you gushed about last week is now pretending you don't exist …Ellen Scott

intransitive verb

1
a
: to move silently like a ghost
b
: to sail quietly in light winds
2

Examples of ghost in a Sentence

Noun a house haunted by ghosts looked for ghosts in the graveyard on Halloween Verb She ghosted the mayor's autobiography.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Savannah is known for its antebellum architecture, Southern hospitality, and fabled ghosts. Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 17 Mar. 2024 All four wore long coats and breathed ghosts of visible vapor into the cold February morning. CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024 Wizard running away from the ghost of a man hanging inside a Wisconsin jail cell. Jonah Gercke, SPIN, 15 Mar. 2024 Aghast, the ghosts of his swans (dressed all in white) watch over the spectacle as the remains sell for close to $44,000. Meredith Woerner, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 The river ran fat and sassy, fueled by a recent winter storm, and the water swept by in a gurgling whoosh, like a ghost train. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 Taken in by eerie ghosts called the Wilis, Giselle then enters an ethereal world where dance is the language of the soul. The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024 A lot of ghosts, living and dead, float through, too — the aging but still vibrant musicians of that late ’50s/early ’60s musical revolution and the artists who live on only in recordings and archival interviews. Ty Burr, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Largely a residential isle, Holden Beach is all about simple pleasures, from biking and kayaking along with playing on the beach during the day, to ghost crabbing at night. Tracey Minkin, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
The financial pressure for medical practices to keep patients from ghosting them is a major factor. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 In dating, ghosting is when someone ends all communication without giving the other person any warning or explanation. Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The reality is that ghosting has become unofficial standard operating procedures. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 In a viral January 2022 TikTok video, a New York woman recounted being ghosted by a dating app match, Caleb, after a promising first date. Marisa Iati, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 Millennials, for example, are most likely to feel anxious after ghosting and worried that ghosting will negatively impact future opportunities. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 19 Feb. 2024 After that, Campbell is accused of ghosting him, even as his court date approached. Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 16 Feb. 2024 In some cases, ghosting might be used to avoid awkward conversations or negative feedback, especially if the reason for rejection is perceived as subjective or difficult to articulate. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Not to be confused with the 2001 Blake Shelton hit, Dasha employs handclaps, folksy fiddle and boot-stomping, made-for-line-dancing rhythms to propel this tale of calling out an ex-lover who ghosted her. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ghost.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English gost, gast, from Old English gāst; akin to Old High German geist spirit, Sanskrit heḍa anger

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ghost was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near ghost

Cite this Entry

“Ghost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ghost. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ghost

noun
ˈgōst
: the soul of a dead person thought of as living in an unseen world or as appearing to living people

Medical Definition

ghost

noun
: a structure (as a cell or tissue) that does not stain normally because of degenerative changes
specifically : a red blood cell that has lost its hemoglobin

More from Merriam-Webster on ghost

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