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
-
Call it fate or family tree, Anna Prillaman was born into the craft and culture of spirits.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
And getting the word out that everybody needs to watch and celebrate because the show is going to lift your spirits and bring a smile to your face.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
7 June 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
-
Other public recognitions and relics of Kahanamoku’s story exist around Orange County.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
3 June 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Together, the two men battle the forces of evil, each other, and their own demons on the path to salvation.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
-
Still, 51-year-old Rhys didn’t take Nile’s demons or Tom’s supernatural burden home.—
Emma Fraser,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 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
Noun
-
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
-
Zachary Stevenson’s performance replicates the nerdy-yet-hip Texan through impressive guitar licks and superb vocals that are equally comfortable with sweet ballads and on-the-edge rockabilly songs.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
-
Elk, deer, and buffalo had migrated to and from mineral licks throughout North America for millennia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
But the papers didn’t contain any traces of drugs at all and the field tests the correction department uses are notoriously inaccurate, returning a false positive roughly four out of five times, according to the lawsuit, which cites a November 2024 city Department of Investigation report.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
11 June 2026
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While the mineral disappeared as the lunar surface eventually solidified and cooled, researchers pinpointed lingering traces of its existence in NWA 12593.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ghosts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghosts. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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