ghosting

noun

ghost·ing | \ ˈgō-stiŋ

Definition of ghosting

1 : a faint double image on a television screen or other display also : the formation of such images Such displays tend to suffer from ghosting, which shows up as extraneous lines on screen. — Consumer Reports

2 informal : the act or practice of abruptly cutting off all contact with someone (such as a former romantic partner) by no longer accepting or responding to phone calls, instant messages, etc. Romeo one minute, where'd he go the next? Ghosting is when you go poof and literally disappear out of someone's life without a word or explanation.— Samantha Burns "It's the fear of missing out on the thing, or person, that is coming next. … It may be a little mean, but we're dating; it's not like we're in a relationship," said one anonymous online dater in defense of ghosting.— Chelsea Frisbie — see also ghost entry 2 sense 3

Examples of ghosting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This will clean up perfectly each time without any ghosting. — Chris Hachey, BGR, "Best Sidewalk Sign," 1 Mar. 2021 While the ghosting of the forest during the Little Ice Age is interesting on its own, Gaglioti and his co-workers hope to use the site to find out more about how living things respond to changes. — Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, "Exploring the ‘ghost forest’ that got run over by a glacier in Southeast Alaska," 20 Feb. 2021 Hosts Rachel Lindsay and Travis Mills meet the haunted and come up with theories about the cause behind the ghosting. — Clarkisha Kent, EW.com, "MTV's Ghosted pushes exploitative reality TV boundaries — but is boring while doing it," 19 Sep. 2019 This heartbreaking phenomenon is known as 'cancer ghosting'. — Sarah Graham, refinery29.com, "I Was Ghosted By My Friends When I Got Cancer," 20 Feb. 2020 First documented by Brittany Cox of Thought Catalog back in 2017, this phenomenon is a lot like ghosting, but without the abrupt disappearance. — Erika W. Smith, refinery29.com, "Curving: Another Terrible Dating Trend," 29 Jan. 2020 The one noteworthy issue here is overshoot, or inverse ghosting. — Jeff Dunn, Ars Technica, "Guidemaster: Finding the best gaming monitors you can buy in 2019," 23 Aug. 2019 Yep, this is called ghosting, and there’s now an entire docuseries devoted to hunting down an answer from those who are doing the disappearing. — Jasmine Grant, Essence, "Rachel Lindsay Talks Hosting MTV's 'Ghosted' And How To Confront The Ghost In Your Own Dating Life," 24 Sep. 2019 And ironically, this episode highlights what is so conflicting yet enduring about the concept of ghosting. — Clarkisha Kent, EW.com, "MTV's Ghosted pushes exploitative reality TV boundaries — but is boring while doing it," 19 Sep. 2019

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