as in apparitions
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
Halloween is supposed to be a time when phantoms return to walk among us
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of phantoms
Such a designation, evidently, would save agents from wasting time chasing phantoms.
—
Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
Just in time for Halloween, the sonic phantoms that have long plagued the ladies of The View have seemingly possessed inanimate objects over on the Live With Kelly and Mark set.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Because contemporary phantoms of Richard Mille, Patek Philippe, and Rolex are expertly constructed to entice even the most discerning eye, provenance is crucial.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Science and magic, love, humour and phantoms.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025
Radlmaier‘s cast of characters also includes an older Asian German who offers tours of his personal highlights of the region rather than the top sights featured in guidebooks, a woman urging others to guess the name of her dog, nude hikers, possible ghosts or phantoms, and more.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
Just in time for Halloween, the sonic phantoms that have long plagued the ladies of The View have seemingly possessed inanimate objects over on the Live With Kelly and Mark set.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Because contemporary phantoms of Richard Mille, Patek Philippe, and Rolex are expertly constructed to entice even the most discerning eye, provenance is crucial.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Science and magic, love, humour and phantoms.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025
Radlmaier‘s cast of characters also includes an older Asian German who offers tours of his personal highlights of the region rather than the top sights featured in guidebooks, a woman urging others to guess the name of her dog, nude hikers, possible ghosts or phantoms, and more.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantoms
Noun
-
Acosta’s bright shapes could be seen as apparitions of a sort.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
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On top of these apparitions, a human foe, whose motives for committing a crime seem rather nebulous, also exists.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The vice president of the Gardner PTA, Oralia Rodriguez, even brought ice cream to campus in an effort to lift spirits.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Pernod Ricard has spent recent years moving away from wine and toward spirits, including the December sale of Mumm Napa to Trinchero Family Wine & Spirits.—
Aidin Vaziri,
San Francisco Chronicle,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That’s how ghosts come to haunt a place.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
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Of course, ne’er-do-wells saw an opportunity to dress up and commit crimes as ghosts.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
What are the shadows doing, coming off the ridges of those canyons?—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Riachi leaned into its shadows, installing panelling and perforated screens in American walnut, a timber chosen for its rich, timeless quality.—
Amy Bradford,
Architectural Digest,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phantoms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantoms. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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