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
Marta Balaga, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026
The ghosts of the Dončić trade can now be put to rest.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
Rousseau also reports on how Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has gone from seeing ghosts when playing the Patriots to playing against New England in the Super Bowl.
—Will Richmond, The Providence Journal, 6 Feb. 2026
That's right, Florence can see ghosts.
—Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2026
His restraint suits a story in which machine-kind and humankind begin to feel shrink-wrapped together, the ghosts belabored by increasing social pressure, the humans jolted by high-voltage wires.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Sam Darnold once went viral as the Jets quarterback for seeing ghosts against the Patriots.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Torn between two worlds, Dusty is forced to finally face the ghosts of his past athletic failures, including his childhood nemesis Andy Roddick.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
There are a few characters—the cowboy who leads horseback rides through the canyon (straight from central casting, but totally legit), or the guide who takes you hiking into the desert who knows how to survive on cactus and insects and also feels the presence of Navajo ghosts.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
Noun
The latter sees a faded star eyeing a possible comeback and encountering all sorts of ghosts from his past.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026
The ghosts of the Dončić trade can now be put to rest.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
Rousseau also reports on how Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has gone from seeing ghosts when playing the Patriots to playing against New England in the Super Bowl.
—Will Richmond, The Providence Journal, 6 Feb. 2026
That's right, Florence can see ghosts.
—Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2026
His restraint suits a story in which machine-kind and humankind begin to feel shrink-wrapped together, the ghosts belabored by increasing social pressure, the humans jolted by high-voltage wires.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Sam Darnold once went viral as the Jets quarterback for seeing ghosts against the Patriots.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Torn between two worlds, Dusty is forced to finally face the ghosts of his past athletic failures, including his childhood nemesis Andy Roddick.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
There are a few characters—the cowboy who leads horseback rides through the canyon (straight from central casting, but totally legit), or the guide who takes you hiking into the desert who knows how to survive on cactus and insects and also feels the presence of Navajo ghosts.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghosts
Noun
-
To see him in such high spirits, seemingly not dampened by being rested for the final half-hour as Chelsea continue to manage his minutes, was a rare treat.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Some readers may be old enough to remember the 1976 Bicentennial, which occurred during one of the city’s lowest ebbs and lifted everyone’s spirits.—
John Calvelli,
New York Daily News,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Inside the Normal School capsule were relics related to the 1881 assassination of President Garfield, along with the 1881 Los Angeles population count, at 11,183.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Those army-green relics are postcard-perfect by anyone's standard.—
Sophie Morgan,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Instead of teaching his nephew how to fight, Jake shows Marc what real courage is, facing down his own demons along the way.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
-
In the process, Jake shows Marc what real courage is while facing down his own demons.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Juggling demanding apparitions alongside staff burnout, family pressures and a coworker who seems to know more about her than expected, the series grounds its supernatural premise in the cultural specificity of the Filipino healthcare experience.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
3 Feb. 2026
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The image combines each planet's nightly positions during separate 2025 apparitions, assembled by astrophotographer Petr Horálek, a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Blackhawks dressing room was a rowdy scene after the game, their hoots and hollers reverberating throughout the bowels of the United Center.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Cowboy and cowgirl hoots and hollers complement the rumbling of the massive animals’ hooves as they’re rounded up into the corrals.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Thanks to recent advances in the field of biomolecular archeology, scientists can now detect traces of molecular fingerprints on ancient artifacts.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
5 Feb. 2026
-
While there are still detectable traces of a classic 911’s light-front-end feeling, Theon’s builds turn into corners more securely and deliver considerably more lateral grip.—
Basem Wasef,
Robb Report,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Its lead character is Harry Dresden, a professional wizard operating out of the city of Chicago in a world where ghouls, ghosts, werewolves and vampires exist in the shadows of modern society.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
21 Jan. 2026
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No disrespect to Purnell, who perfectly calibrated Lucy’s intrinsic hopefulness in the first season and slowly begins to curdle it this go-round as Lucy spends more time among ghouls, raiders, cannibals, and various other feuding factions.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Adding the killer’s voice just pads an already too-long book.—
Maren Longbella,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
-
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 9 Feb. 2026.
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