phantom

1 of 2

noun

phan·​tom ˈfan-təm How to pronounce phantom (audio)
1
a
: something apparent to sense but with no substantial existence : apparition
b
: something elusive or visionary
c
: an object of continual dread or abhorrence
the phantom of disease and want
2
: something existing in appearance only
3
: a representation of something abstract, ideal, or incorporeal
she was a phantom of delightWilliam Wordsworth
phantomlike adverb or adjective

phantom

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of the nature of, suggesting, or being a phantom : illusory
2
: fictitious, dummy
phantom voters

Examples of phantom in a Sentence

Noun The book is about the phantoms that are said to haunt the nation's cemeteries. The crisis is merely a phantom made up by the media. Adjective People claim to have seen a phantom ship floating on the lake. A number of ballots from phantom voters had to be thrown out.
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.
Noun
Ray is an enigma and a mystery, a man who zips into town on a motorbike like a phantom and could just as easily evaporate at any minute. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 May 2025 Season 4 continued to expand the paranormal world of Ghosts, with the funny phantoms developing new powers, the introduction of even more specters roaming the Woodstone grounds — and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar), finally able to see the ghosts his wife, Sam (Rose McIver) is always speaking with. Christopher Rudolph, People.com, 9 May 2025
Adjective
As the casualties have mounted, locals have speculated on everything from the birds being electrocuted by power lines to a phantom serial bird killer being on the loose. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 12 May 2025 Last month, Mulaney hosted Letterman — one of his absurdist late night heroes — on an episode focused on the lack of information men have about their height as part of a series-long gag about the phantom problem. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for phantom

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English fantesme, fantosme, fantome, fantom "what only seems to have reality or value, vanity, illusion, apparition, falsehood," borrowed from Anglo-French fantosme, fantasme — more at phantasm

Note: For the etymological relation between this word and phantasm, see the note at the latter word. The spelling with initial ph- is a restoration from the Greek source.

Adjective

Middle English fantom, from attributive use of fantosme, fantom phantom entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of phantom was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Phantom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phantom. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

phantom

1 of 2 noun
phan·​tom ˈfant-əm How to pronounce phantom (audio)
: something (as a ghost) that seems to be there but is not real : apparition

phantom

2 of 2 adjective
1
: suggesting or being a phantom
2
: existing in name only : not real : fictitious
phantom voters

Medical Definition

phantom

1 of 2 noun
phan·​tom
variants also fantom
1
: a model of the body or one of its parts
2
: a body of material resembling a body or bodily part in mass, composition, and dimensions and used to measure absorption of radiations

phantom

2 of 2 adjective
variants also fantom
: not caused by an anatomical lesion
phantom respiratory disorders

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