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
Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 June 2026
State regulators have suspended hundreds of hospice licenses amid allegations of fraudulent billing and phantom patient schemes.
—Sally Pipes, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Shannon Taggart, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for phantom
Adjective
Also known as a phantom goal, a ghost goal refers to officiating errors during a football (soccer) match, resulting in either a goal being awarded despite the ball not having crossed the goal line or a legitimate goal being denied.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 June 2026
State regulators have suspended hundreds of hospice licenses amid allegations of fraudulent billing and phantom patient schemes.
—Sally Pipes, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Noun
The Neihardts assumed the phantom sounds came from Mona.
—Shannon Taggart, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for phantom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantom
Adjective
-
Other ideas involve arts and crafts projects, or playing imaginary games with her 8-year-old sister.—
Rhitu Chatterjee,
NPR,
19 June 2026
-
The Vision Award pays tribute to someone whose creative work has contributed to the renewal of the cinematographic imaginary.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
There are even whispers of his ghost still haunting the area.—
Olivia Young,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
-
Co-stars include Aaron Paul and Bryce Dallas Howard in the story of two fraudulent paranormal investigators who are forced to face real ghosts and the lies underpinning their business.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Adjective
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In 1811, The Nottingham Review newspaper recorded what's believed to be the first historical mention of the fictitious Ludd character, described as a framework knitting apprentice near Leicester.—
Emma Bowman,
NPR,
19 June 2026
-
Chen, who is currently being held on $100,000 bail in the Clark County Detention Center, has been charged with five felony counts of bigamy and two counts of intent to utter a fictitious bill/note/check, per FOX5.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Reports of strange sounds, apparitions, and unexplained encounters continue to attract visitors.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
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Why then, when discussing body image after weight changes, is our culture reaching for the language of vexing apparitions and death?—
Virgie Tovar,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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The mural that wraps around the room depicts the colorful life of the bar’s namesake, Arabella Huntington, the second wife of railroad magnate Collis Potter Huntington, and the cocktails in the drinks menu are playfully written as fictional entries in Arabella’s diary.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
19 June 2026
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In the show, the fictional version of Harrelson goes to stay at McConaughey's ranch in Austin, but things spiral out of control after McConaughey's mom, played by Holland Taylor, lets their possible familial connection slip.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Noun
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The Moroccan American Council fosters cultural traditions and community spirit, and the South Florida chapter formed after Morocco opened a consulate in Miami two years ago, one of just two in the United States, along with New York City.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
14 June 2026
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The bad news for The Bold And The Beautiful and The Young & The Restless fans is that no talent from those series will cross over to Hollywood Starlet, but Bell said the vertical series will capture the spirit of those shows, in turn swerving some less savory elements in some microdrama.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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The businesses that will win with AI aren’t waiting for a mythical moment when the technology handles everything.—
Tomas Gorny,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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So, why does the 18-year-old, who wears that mythical number for Barcelona — most closely associated with their all-time record scorer and appearance maker Messi — not have the same privilege with La Roja?—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
The humanities will survive not by defending an imagined past of disinterested purity, but by demonstrating their necessity in a fractured republic.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
-
That is, real, not merely illusory, measures, so that the allure to breach peace for imagined gains is overshadowed.—
Keith Tidman,
Baltimore Sun,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phantom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantom. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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