as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination
the company claimed that the only hazards involving its product were the phantom dangers created by consumer groups
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in ghost
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
Halloween is supposed to be a time when phantoms return to walk among us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of phantom
Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
The phantom page is usually a collection of additional content suggestions or a pop-up that tries to eke out a few more clicks from each visitor.
—ArsTechnica, 14 Apr. 2026
Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 12 Nov. 2025
Gives himself entirely to the race, shoots like a phantom up through the opening and then stands panting in the garret, completely motionless, while his eyes become accustomed to the change of light.
—Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phantom
Adjective
Developers routinely file speculative interconnection requests for projects that never get built, flooding queues with phantom demand.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
The phantom page is usually a collection of additional content suggestions or a pop-up that tries to eke out a few more clicks from each visitor.
—ArsTechnica, 14 Apr. 2026
Noun
Investigators said the resident was experiencing excruciating pain from a hernia, phantom leg syndrome and nerve damage from diabetes.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 12 Nov. 2025
Gives himself entirely to the race, shoots like a phantom up through the opening and then stands panting in the garret, completely motionless, while his eyes become accustomed to the change of light.
—Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phantom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantom
Adjective
-
To find Hydra, first locate the bright stars Chertan and Regulus in the constellation Leo and draw an imaginary line from the former to the latter, extending 20 degrees into open space.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
9 May 2026
-
Artists in the 18th century would often include a person of color, who would sometimes be imaginary, in their portraits of wealthy white sitters to embellish the painting and highlight the high status of the main subject, according to the researchers.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The big hits came from pinch-hitter Troy Johnston, who hit a double to right to score ghost runner Willi Castro, and Jake McCarthy, who drove in Johnston with a single to center.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
9 May 2026
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And what about Ctenocheloides attenboroughi, a living species of ghost shrimp less than an inch long?—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
First, Jones submitted fraudulent expense reimbursement requests for fictitious business expenses.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Investigators say the monthly payroll expenses and the number of employees were fictitious and that the documents used to support the monthly income for the companies were false.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
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Those themes are alive here, as the ghosts who visit Depp’s Scrooge are intricate, terrifying apparitions not suitable for the whole family.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The novel follows an elderly British couple, Axl and Beatrice, living in a fictional post-Arthurian England in which no one is able to retain long-term memories.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
8 May 2026
-
The actor couldn’t have been further from the halls of a fictional hospital.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Barker’s other heroes include Nathan Fielder and Tim Robinson, comics whose work contains an undeniable dark streak, and who share his prankster’s spirit and high tolerance for unease.—
Alex Barasch,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
Vitello said postgame that Koss’ helmet cracked as a result of the bean ball, but Koss was in good spirits after the game.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
Their stories live on in Sardinian lore with an almost mythical quality, the brigands admired for their intractability.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
-
Komodo dragons were nearly mythical creatures until the first detailed field study was conducted by Walter Auffenberg in the late 1960s.—
Craig Stanford,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Then, a shift to the imagined world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
-
But, this specific adaptation could be equally advantaged by presenting an imagined hell within our lesser, present one.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phantom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantom. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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