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
Israel has taken on the eerie quiet of a ghost town.
—
Orly Halpern, Time, 18 June 2025
On the eve of anti-Trump protests, downtown L.A. curfew turns nightlife hub into ghost town.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2025
As conditions worsened, tourism declined sharply, businesses closed, and many residents left, turning once-thriving communities into near ghost towns.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 May 2025
The deposits are just west of Silver City, a historic ghost town that’s still home to a few operating businesses in the summer tourist season.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ghost town
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.
Orly Halpern, Time, 18 June 2025
On the eve of anti-Trump protests, downtown L.A. curfew turns nightlife hub into ghost town.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2025
As conditions worsened, tourism declined sharply, businesses closed, and many residents left, turning once-thriving communities into near ghost towns.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 May 2025
The deposits are just west of Silver City, a historic ghost town that’s still home to a few operating businesses in the summer tourist season.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ghost town
Cite this Entry
“Ghost town.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ghost%20town. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share