1
as in spirits
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
looked for ghosts in the graveyard on Halloween
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in damns
the smallest amount or part imaginable
she may be a good endurance runner, but she doesn't stand a ghost of a chance of winning in a sprint
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in relics
a tiny often physical indication of something lost or vanished
the down-at-the-heels town house is but a ghost of the neighborhood's former grandeur
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in demons
an evil spirit
the vengeful ghosts of seamen who were deliberately shipwrecked upon these shores
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ghosts
Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
His journey will unravel past ghosts and future misdeeds.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 May 2026
My latest novel, The Last Lady B, has a gothic twist (think ghosts and lost wills).
—Eloisa James, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Vegas has a much more recent championship, and there really aren’t any ghosts haunting this team as a whole.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 11 May 2026
As lawmakers consider helping the Bears build a new stadium, the ghosts of past stadium deals still haunt the present.
—Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
This is a game where Norman Reedus carries a baby in a jar to rebuild America by delivering packages and defeating time ghosts.
—George Yang, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
This includes some that pass through each other like ghosts, some that interact with each other, exchanging energy, and others that decay into smaller particles, releasing a tiny bit of energy in the process.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 27 Apr. 2026
To explain the human tendency to jump to ghosts as a conclusion, Scatterty points to fish biology.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
What is Wuthering Heights without ghosts?
—Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
His journey will unravel past ghosts and future misdeeds.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 May 2026
My latest novel, The Last Lady B, has a gothic twist (think ghosts and lost wills).
—Eloisa James, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Vegas has a much more recent championship, and there really aren’t any ghosts haunting this team as a whole.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 11 May 2026
As lawmakers consider helping the Bears build a new stadium, the ghosts of past stadium deals still haunt the present.
—Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
This is a game where Norman Reedus carries a baby in a jar to rebuild America by delivering packages and defeating time ghosts.
—George Yang, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
This includes some that pass through each other like ghosts, some that interact with each other, exchanging energy, and others that decay into smaller particles, releasing a tiny bit of energy in the process.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 27 Apr. 2026
To explain the human tendency to jump to ghosts as a conclusion, Scatterty points to fish biology.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghosts
Noun
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Activist spirits might dismiss this emphasis on the purely sonic as a strategy of avoidance, although the likes of Feizabadi and Kourliandski can’t be accused of sitting idly by.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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There are flavored vodkas like strawberry and blueberry, agave spirits and gin.—
Emily M. Olson,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
Noun
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These poles are not relics but living records of family lineage, alliances, and legends.—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
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Legend has it that these relics are the remains of martyrs from the early days of Christianity in Rome that were discovered in the 16th century in unmarked graves in the city's catacombs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Noun
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That’s an intriguing philosophical swerve for the series that, however late arriving, paves the way for an unexpectedly moving epilogue after God honors Aziraphale and Crowley’s request to remake the universe as a place without gods or demons.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
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Prime Video's fantasy series about angels, demons and good and evil is returning May 13 for what was meant to be a third and final season.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Noun
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The museum site has been a paranormal hotbed for decades, with sightings of apparitions, security camera footage capturing items flying off shelves, as well as experiences from staff members and visitors.—
Gregory Harutunian,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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There certainly seem to be apparitions in this music, some presence apart from the four musicians and the throngs of fans, which is intensified by the visceral collision of so many sounds.—
Stephen M. Deusner,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Wiseman said to hoots from the crowd of media gathered at the site.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Owl hoots are most effective at striking up turkeys when owls are naturally active, which is around dawn and dusk.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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As a result, traces of Denisovan DNA live on in some humans today — something interbreeding geneticists call admixture.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
-
Crucially, the entire supply chain traces back to quartz — essentially sand — with no dependency on China.—
Gene Berdichevsky,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Created by a number of its stars, Ghosts originated on the BBC in 2019, following a group of ghouls from different historical periods haunting a country house while sharing the house with its new living occupants.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
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Now working as a stocker, Ash accidentally unleashes undead ghouls after reading from the Necronomicon, forcing him to take up his chainsaw yet again to save humanity from the Deadites.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Adding the killer’s voice just pads an already too-long book.—
Maren Longbella,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
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Not to say there aren’t some clunkers, most notably a jokey take-me-out-to-the-ballgame baseball number that pads the second act, but the Flaherty-Ahrens score was and is Ragtime‘s signature achievement.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ghosts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghosts. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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