phantoms

noun

plural of phantom
as in apparitions
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

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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 phantoms Such a designation, evidently, would save agents from wasting time chasing phantoms. — Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026 Just in time for Halloween, the sonic phantoms that have long plagued the ladies of The View have seemingly possessed inanimate objects over on the Live With Kelly and Mark set. — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025 Because contemporary phantoms of Richard Mille, Patek Philippe, and Rolex are expertly constructed to entice even the most discerning eye, provenance is crucial. — Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025 Science and magic, love, humour and phantoms. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025 Radlmaier‘s cast of characters also includes an older Asian German who offers tours of his personal highlights of the region rather than the top sights featured in guidebooks, a woman urging others to guess the name of her dog, nude hikers, possible ghosts or phantoms, and more. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantoms
  1. apparitions
  2. spirits
  3. ghosts
  4. shadows
Noun
  • Today, the massive complex attracts paranormal investigators who report apparitions, voices, and other unexplained phenomena.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of apparitions
Noun
  • Further lifting Toohey’s spirits is his former high school roommate Lachlan Olbrich.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 15 July 2026
  • Space opened up and despite trailing, Argentine spirits were lifted.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of spirits
Noun
  • The music starts to shift beginning with the third episode, when Lestat becomes overwhelmed by the apparition of his abusive maker and other ghosts, including Claudia, whose killing he’d been forced to witness firsthand.
    — Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
  • When nighttime falls, the game’s friendly parkgoers turn into zombies and ghosts who chase the park ranger, armed with nothing but a Frisbee deployed by the keyboard’s space bar.
    — Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 9 July 2026
Definition of ghosts
Noun
  • But out of the shadows emerges a former soldier known only as Berry, who starts building a secret resistance network.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 15 July 2026
  • Blume’s unobtrusive handiwork lifts Show Me the Body out of the shadows without sun-bleaching their craggy exterior.
    — Eli Enis, Pitchfork, 15 July 2026
Definition of shadows

Browse Nearby Words

phantom
phantoms
pharaoh
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Cite this Entry

“Phantoms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantoms. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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