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
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.
Recent Examples of ghosts
David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 28 Feb. 2026
What begins as a journey for father and son to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye, quickly turns into a fantastical adventure the tests their relationship and digs up ghosts from Kratos' past.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
In times of crumble and collapse, buildings and governments may fall, but stories are the ghosts that whisper to us from the rubble.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
How did mentions of ghosts and superstition enhance your reading experience?
—CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Old ghosts offer promises to overcompensate for past issues.
—Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2026
Perhaps MacKinnon was haunted, seeing ghosts.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
It was originally supposed to be a story with more ghosts and such, but the real-world system the film presents was horror enough.
—Blake Simons, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
Savannah is a city fixated on its ghosts, whether in the form of a hovering spirit or the weight of a rich, complicated history that seems to drape everything like Spanish moss.
—Adam Kuehl, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
Upstairs is meticulously staged as an Airbnb retreat that comes with modern amenities, Old West charm and quaint stories about ghosts.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 28 Feb. 2026
What begins as a journey for father and son to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye, quickly turns into a fantastical adventure the tests their relationship and digs up ghosts from Kratos' past.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
In times of crumble and collapse, buildings and governments may fall, but stories are the ghosts that whisper to us from the rubble.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
How did mentions of ghosts and superstition enhance your reading experience?
—CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Old ghosts offer promises to overcompensate for past issues.
—Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2026
Perhaps MacKinnon was haunted, seeing ghosts.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
It was originally supposed to be a story with more ghosts and such, but the real-world system the film presents was horror enough.
—Blake Simons, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
Savannah is a city fixated on its ghosts, whether in the form of a hovering spirit or the weight of a rich, complicated history that seems to drape everything like Spanish moss.
—Adam Kuehl, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghosts
Noun
-
Some small changes might lift your spirits.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Assuming that businesses passed the entire fee to consumers, as expected, costs would rise about 3 cents for six 12-ounce beer cans, 5 cents for a standard-sized wine bottle and 26 cents for a fifth of spirits.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
It's widely believed the relics later multiplied; most are enshrined in a memorial stupa at Kopan monastery in Nepal.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Rosemead’s Wei Mountain Temple displays thousands of relics purportedly from the Buddha, including bones and teeth followers believe multiply and possess healing powers.—
Deepa Bharath,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Are Hellebuyck’s playoff demons slain, then?—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Ash vs Evil Dead (2015–2018) Bruce Campbell returns to the role he was born to play in this comedy-horror series 30 years after vanquishing body-possessing demons in The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), and Army of Darkness (1992).—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
As the 14-year-old child of a poor family in 1858, Saint Bernadette experienced numerous apparitions of a young woman in a cave or grotto, seemingly the Virgin Mary, asking for a chapel to be built on the site.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The small museum, which opened last year, covers the creatures, apparitions and mysteries eluding prosaic explanation.—
Adam Kuehl,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 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
-
The ginger ale mention traces back to the scene when Ilya was making Shane the tuna melt and opened his fridge, which was stocked with ginger ale.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
-
On Friday, the Chiang Mai regional livestock office announced in a statement that autopsies of the animals found genetic material of canine distemper virus, or CDV, and traces of bacterial infection but no avian influenza type A virus, also known as bird flu.—
Wasamon Audjarint,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This also marks the first time players can become ghouls themselves in the mainline story.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2026
-
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 5 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
