ghost town

noun

: a once-flourishing town wholly or nearly deserted usually as a result of the exhaustion of some natural resource

Examples of ghost town in a Sentence

After all the gold was mined, the place became a ghost town.
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.
As the novel goes on, Obreht weaves three timelines together—Coll’s in 2003, Anton Vargas’s in 1902—to unravel the mystery of Sunrise, the ghost town to end all ghost towns. Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026 In 2020, Blair and Blanca Schaffer bought 80 acres in the ghost town. Pam Leblanc, Southern Living, 3 Jan. 2026 Then the pandemic hit, turning downtowns into ghost towns and disrupting the core Farmer’s Fridge business model. Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2026 According to Kodak, other scenes were also filmed in Kolmanskop, another nearby ghost town. Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 28 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ghost town

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ghost town was in 1894

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Cite this Entry

“Ghost town.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ghost%20town. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.

Kids Definition

ghost town

noun
: a town deserted because some natural resource has been used up

More from Merriam-Webster on ghost town

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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