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.
The department is a ghost town now, tape plastered over the entrance. Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026 Drawing inspiration from the real-life towns of Cassadaga, Florida, and Pilottown, Louisiana, La Cachette is a literal ghost town filled with psychic happenings and unexplained magic deep in the swamp. Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2026 Memphis, which is not exactly considered a favorite travel destination for NBA teams in the first place, had turned into a complete ghost town. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 30 Jan. 2026 Nowhere perhaps was the searing heat more evident than at Melbourne Park, where the usual crowds thronging outside the Australian Open tennis tournament dwindled to a ghost town as temperatures soared. CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026 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 12 Feb. 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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