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
Greg Bensinger, USA Today, 3 June 2026
The cellist and guitarist collaborate on a set of relaxed, generous music that conjures ghosts of British folk and Pacific Northwest indie rock.
—Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 2 June 2026
Concept art for Madame Leota’s Swinging Wake shows the street party will include familiar Haunted Mansion characters like the cemetery caretaker, grave diggers, ballroom dancers and a few ghoulish ghosts.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 2 June 2026
When a client ghosts an invoice, the reason is often buried in an email thread about a service dispute or a Slack message about a management shakeup.
—Jerry Shu, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The seven empty chairs in the front row of the audience at the American Poetry Museum had been reserved all along for the ghosts, a space saved for voices not yet present.
—Literary Hub, 29 May 2026
And there are not enough Jewish marchers to parade hand-in-hand with the ghosts of their Palestinian cousins from the Gaza genocide.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 27 May 2026
The team bounced back with four wins in a row, keeping four clean sheets and not letting the ghosts of seasons past impact another campaign.
—Thomas Schlachter, CNN Money, 23 May 2026
Sam immediately puts forth the ghosts, hoping that their deaths on the property might be enough.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Noun
Beware the ghosts of IPOs past.
—Greg Bensinger, USA Today, 3 June 2026
The cellist and guitarist collaborate on a set of relaxed, generous music that conjures ghosts of British folk and Pacific Northwest indie rock.
—Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 2 June 2026
Concept art for Madame Leota’s Swinging Wake shows the street party will include familiar Haunted Mansion characters like the cemetery caretaker, grave diggers, ballroom dancers and a few ghoulish ghosts.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 2 June 2026
When a client ghosts an invoice, the reason is often buried in an email thread about a service dispute or a Slack message about a management shakeup.
—Jerry Shu, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The seven empty chairs in the front row of the audience at the American Poetry Museum had been reserved all along for the ghosts, a space saved for voices not yet present.
—Literary Hub, 29 May 2026
And there are not enough Jewish marchers to parade hand-in-hand with the ghosts of their Palestinian cousins from the Gaza genocide.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 27 May 2026
The team bounced back with four wins in a row, keeping four clean sheets and not letting the ghosts of seasons past impact another campaign.
—Thomas Schlachter, CNN Money, 23 May 2026
Sam immediately puts forth the ghosts, hoping that their deaths on the property might be enough.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghosts
Noun
-
The judging panels awarded Silver, Gold, and, for the standouts, Master medals to spirits that meet a very high benchmark for balance, purity, and category character.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
This new rye whiskey started its life in Illinois, specifically at Chicago craft distillery Koval, which makes some very… interesting spirits (the Koopers trained there as distillers).—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Once considered delightfully kitschy relics of suburban Americana, porch geese are waddling their way back into the spotlight.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
29 May 2026
-
The 700-year-old circular Bellver Castle is an architectural gem, briefly used as royal residence, mostly as a ghastly political and military prison over six centuries, and now a museum of Roman and other relics.—
Norma Meyer,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, DC, has removed a priest as an exorcist and cut ties with the priest's nonprofit organization over comments the priest made about UFOs and demons.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
The Bosch follower panel, titled Hell, was packed with the strange creatures, demons, and punishments that made the artist famous.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
3 June 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
-
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
-
Their hoots and hollers drowned Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s explanation of how a title defense fell short.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
-
Wiseman said to hoots from the crowd of media gathered at the site.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The group of items appears to have been deposited as part of a burial and includes a copper mirror, alabaster vessels that still contain traces of their original contents, and a vessel carved from black obsidian.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
1 June 2026
-
Valles Marineris is an enormous rift valley system on Mars that scientists want to scour for traces of liquid water, which may exist in sheltered niches and serve as an habitat for possible life.—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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 7 Jun. 2026.
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