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phantom limb
noun
: an often painful sensation of the presence of a limb that has been amputated
called also phantom pain
Examples of phantom limb in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It is now recognized as a chronic disease in which repeated acute pain events transform the nervous system in ways that echo other conditions such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and phantom limb pain.
—Emily Sohn, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Then, as the show progresses into new story lines and the rest of the cast tries to carry on without their key player, almost like a phantom limb, the audience feels a constant twinge that something is missing.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2024
Like many Russians, Putin has suffered from something like phantom limb syndrome ever since the Soviet Union collapsed.
—Calder Walton, Foreign Affairs, 19 July 2023
By the end of that year, the panel was monitoring 132 ongoing research projects, including studies on whether cannabis use affects antiretroviral therapy and how psilocybin helps people suffering from phantom limb pain.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for phantom limb
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Word History
First Known Use
1871, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near phantom limb
Cite this Entry
“Phantom limb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phantom%20limb. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Medical Definition
phantom limb
noun
: an often painful sensation of the presence of a limb that has been amputated
called also phantom pain, phantom sensations
More from Merriam-Webster on phantom limb
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about phantom limb
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