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
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
ghosted; ghosting; ghosts
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
Ellen Scott1
a
: to move silently like a ghost
b
: to sail quietly in light winds
2
Synonyms
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 WebChristian Elliott, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
Even a house ghost who might not come through the door, but sometimes makes her — probably her — presence known.
—Kathleen Purvis, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2024
Overwhelming Circumstances: There are also fewer emergent situations where someone might ghost due to overwhelming personal issues or mental health struggles.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 22 Apr. 2024
Visit Castillo de San Marcos, explore colonial streets, and take a ghost tour in the spooky Tolomato Cemetery.
—Jp Shaffer, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024
Flower is a hippie ghost portrayed by actor Sheila Carrasco.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 18 Apr. 2024
Monty’s honey mustard was our second favorite, but my ultimate suggestion is to dip your fry or tot in the ghost chile sriracha followed by the honey mustard for a bite that’s hot, sweet, tangy and peppery all at once.
—Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Cook those coin-bugs belly-side down, and make sure to swing your jar of holy water through several ghosts to get the creamiest sorbet.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Whether the mural of Boggs and Weider ghost sign will remain is unknown.
—Detroit Free Press, 11 Apr. 2024
Nick Rockel, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Ghosting is rude—which means ghosting a restaurant is also rude.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 29 Feb. 2024
Lastly, unequal power dynamics between recruiters or hiring managers and candidates can contribute to ghosting, as some might feel less obligated to provide explanations.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
Some threads the series takes up are new: Getting ghosted after confessing his feelings to someone.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
The thriller series follows a schoolteacher who goes on a journey to find a man who ghosted her after a Tinder date, and Barris serves as executive producer alongside the creator of the show, Diarra Kilpatrick.
—Nathan Vinson, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024
With the rise of online dating and social media, ghosting has become a common experience for many people.
—Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
In a 2021 Indeed survey, 77% of job applicants said they have been ghosted by a prospective employer.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
The financial pressure for medical practices to keep patients from ghosting them is a major factor.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024
Noun
By drilling deep sediment cores in these ghost forests and using new techniques to date the layers of organic material within, scientists were able to discover past earthquakes going back millennia.
—Christian Elliott, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
Even a house ghost who might not come through the door, but sometimes makes her — probably her — presence known.
—Kathleen Purvis, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2024
Overwhelming Circumstances: There are also fewer emergent situations where someone might ghost due to overwhelming personal issues or mental health struggles.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 22 Apr. 2024
Visit Castillo de San Marcos, explore colonial streets, and take a ghost tour in the spooky Tolomato Cemetery.
—Jp Shaffer, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024
Flower is a hippie ghost portrayed by actor Sheila Carrasco.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 18 Apr. 2024
Monty’s honey mustard was our second favorite, but my ultimate suggestion is to dip your fry or tot in the ghost chile sriracha followed by the honey mustard for a bite that’s hot, sweet, tangy and peppery all at once.
—Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Cook those coin-bugs belly-side down, and make sure to swing your jar of holy water through several ghosts to get the creamiest sorbet.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Whether the mural of Boggs and Weider ghost sign will remain is unknown.
—Detroit Free Press, 11 Apr. 2024
Verb
But the benefits that Kim highlights offer some compelling reasons not to ghost them.
—Nick Rockel, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Ghosting is rude—which means ghosting a restaurant is also rude.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 29 Feb. 2024
Lastly, unequal power dynamics between recruiters or hiring managers and candidates can contribute to ghosting, as some might feel less obligated to provide explanations.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
Some threads the series takes up are new: Getting ghosted after confessing his feelings to someone.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
The thriller series follows a schoolteacher who goes on a journey to find a man who ghosted her after a Tinder date, and Barris serves as executive producer alongside the creator of the show, Diarra Kilpatrick.
—Nathan Vinson, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024
With the rise of online dating and social media, ghosting has become a common experience for many people.
—Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
In a 2021 Indeed survey, 77% of job applicants said they have been ghosted by a prospective employer.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
The financial pressure for medical practices to keep patients from ghosting them is a major factor.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 16 Mar. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near ghost
Cite this Entry
“Ghost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ghost. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share