Meaning & use
to ghost
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Meanings
verbtransitiveinformal
To end a relationship or friendship by suddenly stopping all communication without explanation.
Grammar: Takes an object: ghost someone. Often used in the passive: be ghosted by someone.
Patterns
- ghost someone
- be ghosted by someone
After three dates, he just ghosted her and never replied to her messages.
She was ghosted by her best friend after an argument.
I can't believe he ghosted me after we made plans for the weekend.
verbtransitiveinformal
To avoid someone or something completely, especially to escape responsibility or danger.
Grammar: Takes an object: ghost a meeting, ghost a problem. Less common than the dating sense.
Patterns
- ghost a meeting
- ghost a problem
He ghosted the meeting because he didn't want to explain his mistake.
The company ghosted the complaints from customers.
Word forms
| third person singular | ghosts |
|---|---|
| past tense | ghosted |
| past participle | ghosted |
| -ing form | ghosting |
Common combinations
- ghost someone after a date
- He ghosted her after their first date.
- get ghosted
- She got ghosted by a guy she really liked.
- ghost someone on social media
- He ghosted me on social media by unfollowing and blocking me.
- ghost a friend
- It's hurtful to ghost a friend instead of talking about the problem.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ignore
- More general; you can ignore someone in person, but ghosting specifically means stopping all online and phone communication suddenly.
- cut off
- Similar but often implies a more deliberate and permanent end to contact, not necessarily sudden.
Opposites
Word family
- ghosting noun
- The act of suddenly stopping communication with someone.
Commonly confused: to ghost or ghost?
to ghost vs ghost
As a noun, 'ghost' means the spirit of a dead person. The verb 'to ghost' is different and informal.
Practice
After they had a big fight, he decided to ______ her instead of talking about it.
Choose one answer.
'Ghost' is the best fit because it specifically means to suddenly stop all communication without explanation, which matches the context of ending contact after a fight. 'Ignore' and 'avoid' are more general and don't imply cutting off all contact. 'Refuse' doesn't fit grammatically here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to ghost”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.