ghost

noun

\ ˈgōst

Definition of ghost

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

3 : spirit, demon

4a : 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

ghost

verb

ghosted; ghosting; ghosts

Definition of ghost (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to haunt like a ghost

2 : ghostwrite ghosted the mayor's autobiography

3 informal : to cut off all contact with (someone) : 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

intransitive verb

1a : to move silently like a ghost

b : to sail quietly in light winds

2 : ghostwrite

Other Words from ghost Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about ghost

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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 Web: Noun

Using your index finger, mold oval over finger, creating a ghost form. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Ghost Cupcakes," 12 Sep. 2019 Biologists aggravated ghost crabs with rods, robotic toys and the bodies of dead and live crabs. — Amy Woodyatt And Allen Kim, CNN, "Ghost crabs 'growl' from their stomachs, scientists find," 12 Sep. 2019 According to Shultz, ghost crab stridulations serve as both a warning and a sign of their maker’s battle prowess. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Ghost Crabs Use Teeth in Their Stomachs to Ward Off Predators," 12 Sep. 2019 Try Hotel Galvez & Spa in Galveston, where a ghost bride is said to be roaming the west turret of the hotel. — Michelle Iracheta, Houston Chronicle, "Hotel Galvez, Texas Killing Fields among notoriously haunted places in Texas," 10 Sep. 2019 Think: Creepy twins, elevators full of blood, ghost parties, and a really disturbing bathtub scene. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "The Best '80s Horror Movies That Are Still Terrifying Today," 4 Sep. 2019 The spooky house has attracted a ton of paranormal fans and ghost hunters, but Aaron revealed that the first group to stay there couldn't even last the night. — Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "You Can Now Rent the Famously Haunted Hobo Hill House on Airbnb For Spooky Season," 4 Sep. 2019 This is one of the rare ghost tours that guarantee spirits will be present. — Roger Naylor, azcentral, "Floating tiki bar, haunted pub crawl: 10 places for end-of-summer road trips in Arizona," 14 Aug. 2019 For sea turtles, that means finding ways to foil natural predators — coyotes, raccoons, ghost crabs — that view nests as an all-you-can-eat buffet. — Lisa Maria Garza, orlandosentinel.com, "Sea turtle nests, protected from predators, set record high on Volusia County beaches," 13 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Some who did respond quickly ghosted, even with the guarantee of anonymity. — Jason Parham, WIRED, "When Influencers Switch Platforms—and Bare It All," 19 Aug. 2019 Lee began tinkering with a program to measure romantic interest after watching a clueless friend get ghosted after a date. — Wired, "Flirty or Friendzone? New AI Scans Your Texts for True Love," 16 Sep. 2019 After 47 years of friendship, my friend ghosted me. — Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, "Dear Abby: Flashbacks from earlier sexual assault haunt nursing assistant in her new job," 5 Sep. 2019 After 47 years of friendship, my friend ghosted me. — Abigail Van Buren, Twin Cities, "Dear Abby: New job triggers memories of violent sexual assault," 5 Sep. 2019 The bad Some inverse ghosting noticeable at highest overdrive setting with lower refresh rates. — Jeff Dunn, Ars Technica, "Guidemaster: Finding the best gaming monitors you can buy in 2019," 23 Aug. 2019 But the risk is worth it, especially if the alternative is ghosting. — Alexandra Ossola, Quartzy, "Use this perfect breakup text to cure the terrible ghosting trend," 8 Aug. 2019 No one was getting ghosted on Bumble at 49 with absolutely no explanation. — Susanna Schrobsdorff, Time, "'Is 55 Too Old to Go on Tinder?' What Dating Looks Like for the Middle-Aged," 6 Aug. 2019 At this point, ghosting — or ending a relationship by simply disappearing — is old news. — Sophie Saint Thomas, Allure, "Caspering Is a New Dating Trend That's Actually Worse Than Ghosting," 17 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ghost.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for ghost

ghost

noun

English Language Learners Definition of ghost

: the soul of a dead person thought of as living in an unseen world or as appearing to living people

: a very small amount or trace

See the full definition for ghost in the English Language Learners Dictionary

ghost

noun

\ ˈgōst

Kids Definition of ghost

: the spirit of a dead person thought of as living in an unseen world or as appearing to living people

ghost

noun

\ ˈgōst

Medical Definition of ghost

: 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