Meaning & use
ghost
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Meanings
nouncountable
The spirit of a dead person that some people believe can be seen or sensed in the places where the person lived.
Grammar: Counted noun: a ghost, three ghosts.
Patterns
- the ghost of someone
- a ghost in something
Villagers said the ghost of a sailor walked the cliffs at night.
The children told ghost stories around the campfire.
She felt as if she had seen a ghost when the old photograph fell out.
verbtransitiveinformalslang
To suddenly stop replying to someone you were in contact with, without giving a reason.
Grammar: Takes an object: he ghosted me.
Patterns
- ghost someone
- get ghosted
She ghosted him after two dates and never answered his texts.
I can't believe my friend ghosted me instead of just saying no.
Companies that ghost job applicants get a bad reputation.
nounusually singularfigurative
A very faint trace or slight hint of something that is mostly gone.
Grammar: Used with 'of': a ghost of a smile.
Patterns
- a ghost of a smile
- not a ghost of a chance
A ghost of a smile crossed his face.
He doesn't have a ghost of a chance of winning.
The faded sign was only a ghost of its former self.
verbtransitive or intransitiveinformal
To write something for another person who is then named as the author.
Grammar: Often 'ghostwrite'; used with 'for': she ghosted for a politician.
Patterns
- ghost something for someone
She ghosted the memoir for a famous footballer.
He earns a living by ghosting for business leaders.
The speeches were ghosted by an aide.
Word forms
| plural | ghosts |
|---|---|
| third person singular | ghosts |
| past tense | ghosted |
| past participle | ghosted |
| -ing form | ghosting |
Common combinations
- ghost story
- He read a ghost story to the kids on Halloween.
- haunted by a ghost
- The inn is said to be haunted by a ghost.
- ghost town
- The mining settlement became a ghost town.
- give up the ghost
- The old car finally gave up the ghost on the highway.
- ghost someone
- Please don't ghost me if you change your mind.
- ghost writer
- The singer's autobiography was written by a ghost writer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spirit
- Spirit is broader and can be non-scary or religious, while ghost nearly always means a haunting dead person.
- phantom
- Phantom suggests something unreal or imagined, often in a literary tone, whereas ghost is the usual everyday word.
- spectre
- Spectre is a literary or formal word for something frightening, while ghost can be neutral or even friendly.
- apparition
- Apparition describes a sudden appearance of a ghostly figure rather than the being itself.
Word family
- ghostly adjective
- like a ghost; eerie or pale
- ghosting noun
- the practice of cutting contact without explanation
- ghostwriter noun
- someone who writes for another named author
- ghostlike adjective
- resembling a ghost
Commonly confused: ghost or ghoul? ghost or guest?
ghost vs ghoul
A ghoul is a monster that feeds on corpses, not the spirit of a dead person.
ghost vs guest
The spelling of ghost is easily mixed with guest because of the silent h and similar start.
Practice
He was upset because his date suddenly ___ him and never replied to his messages.
Choose one answer.
To ghost someone means to cut all contact without explanation. 'Haunted' refers to a spirit living in a place and does not mean ignoring someone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ghost”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.