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
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.
How much could the animal sense its phantom limb or prosthesis? Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for phantom limb 

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of phantom limb was in 1871

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 24 Dec. 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

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