plural ghosts
1
: the seat of life or intelligence : soul
give up the ghost
2
: a disembodied soul
especially
: the soul of a dead person believed to be an inhabitant of the unseen world or to appear to the living in bodily likeness
4
a
: a faint shadowy trace
a ghost of a smile
b
: the least bit
not a ghost of a chance
5
: a false image in a photographic negative or on a television screen caused especially by reflection
6
: one who ghostwrites
7
: a red blood cell that has lost its hemoglobin
ghosted; ghosting; ghosts
1
: to haunt like a ghost
2
: ghostwrite
ghosted the mayor's autobiography
3
informal
: to cut off all contact with (someone) abruptly and usually without explanation : to subject (someone, such as a former romantic partner) to ghosting see ghosting sense 2
No one wants to be ghosted, mostly because it sucks to admit that the person you gushed about last week is now pretending you don't exist …—
Ellen Scott
Ellen Scott1
a
: to move silently like a ghost
b
: to sail quietly in light winds
2
Synonyms
Examples of ghost in a Sentence
Noun
a house haunted by ghosts
looked for ghosts in the graveyard on Halloween
Verb
She ghosted the mayor's autobiography.
Recent Examples on the Web
Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Nov. 2024
After 36 years, the return of the 1988 Halloween fan-favorite brought back the vindictively hilarious loverboy ghost, Beetlejuice, played by Michael Keaton; the gothic queen herself, Lydia Deetz, played by Winona Ryder; and Catherine O’Hara as Lydia’s stepmom Delia Deetz.
—Emiliana Betancourt, Variety, 25 Nov. 2024
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2024
The fading of the bezel insert tends to send some collectors head-over-heals if it’s especially ghosted (sun bleached), while excessive case polishing (which was common in the five-digit era) will drive prices downward.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ghost 
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Noun
In fact, channeling your rage and frustration into creative expression could be the most constructive way to repurpose those ghosts from your teenage diaries that have been woken from their slumber.
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Nov. 2024
After 36 years, the return of the 1988 Halloween fan-favorite brought back the vindictively hilarious loverboy ghost, Beetlejuice, played by Michael Keaton; the gothic queen herself, Lydia Deetz, played by Winona Ryder; and Catherine O’Hara as Lydia’s stepmom Delia Deetz.
—Emiliana Betancourt, Variety, 25 Nov. 2024
Verb
Amelia teams with Winston — who had ghosted the girl’s mom after a date — for a complex and very risky surgery.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2024
The fading of the bezel insert tends to send some collectors head-over-heals if it’s especially ghosted (sun bleached), while excessive case polishing (which was common in the five-digit era) will drive prices downward.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ghost
Dictionary Entries Near ghost
Cite this Entry
“Ghost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ghost. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ghost
noun
: a structure (as a cell or tissue) that does not stain normally because of degenerative changes
specifically
: a red blood cell that has lost its hemoglobin
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