What does "ghost" mean?
A disembodied soul; a soul or spirit of a deceased person; a spirit appearing after death.
Ghost
/ɡəʊst/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A disembodied soul; a soul or spirit of a deceased person; a spirit appearing after death.
- Grammar: ghost is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: specter, trace, abandoned town, act for.
- Useful contrasts: bustling city, disappear, engage.
- Usage evidence: Strange to say, he saw the ghost of his father.
How to use "ghost"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ghost" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ghost" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ghost" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ghost" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "ghost" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "specter" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "ghost", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A disembodied soul; a soul or spirit of a deceased person; a spirit appearing after death. countable, uncountable
"Everyone believed that the ghost of an old lady haunted the crypt."
- 2 a mental representation of some haunting experience wordnet
- 3 A spirit; a human soul. archaic, countable, literary, uncountable
"hen gins her grieued ghost thus to lament and mourne."
- 4 a suggestion of some quality wordnet
- 5 Any faint shadowy semblance; an unsubstantial image. broadly, countable, uncountable
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Show 24 more definitions
- 6 the visible disembodied soul of a dead person wordnet
- 7 A false image, for example in a photographic print or negative, or on a television screen or radar display, or in a telescope, caused by poor or double reception or reflection (from a lens or screen). countable, uncountable
"There was less flicker, jitter was nonexistent, and the screen pattern had been rendered far more viewworthy, with ghosts being virtually suppressed."
- 8 a writer who gives the credit of authorship to someone else wordnet
- 9 A faint image that remains after an attempt to remove graffiti. countable, uncountable
"Regardless of GRM used, graffiti ghosts persist. Protect cladding with surface coating or replace with graffiti resistant paint or laminate."
- 10 Ellipsis of ghostwriter. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
"I’ve written both as a ghost for experts and under my name."
- 11 A nonexistent person invented to obtain some (typically fraudulent) benefit. countable, uncountable
"Some health systems are plagued by "ghost" and "absent" workers. Ghost workers are nonexistent, listed in the payroll, and paid, a clear sign of corruption."
- 12 A dead person whose identity is stolen by another (see ghosting). countable, uncountable
- 13 An unresponsive user on IRC, resulting from the user's client disconnecting without notifying the server. Internet, countable, uncountable
"This will let you open a query with NickServ again so you can remove your “ghost” from the server: […]"
- 14 A copy of a file or record. countable, uncountable
- 15 An understudy. countable, uncountable
- 16 A covert (and deniable) agent. countable, uncountable
- 17 An opponent in a racing game that follows a previously recorded route, allowing players to compete against previous best times. countable, uncountable
"This is also the case for some racing games (Super Mario Kart is a good example) that allow you to compete against your ghosts, which are precise recordings of your performance."
- 18 Someone whose identity cannot be established because there are no records of such a person. countable, uncountable
""[…]no record of a Robert, or Bobby, Maclain that fits our man's description," Kuzbec said. "No social, no driver's license, no address, no military service record. He's a ghost." Kirov did find that interesting."
- 19 An unphysical state in a gauge theory. countable, uncountable
"The proof is well known, and independent of the metric, but to make certain we prove it here also for the case when the state vector system of an operator contains multipole^([sic]) ghosts."
- 20 A formerly nonexistent character that was at some point mistakenly encoded into a character set standard, which might have since become used opportunistically for some genuine purpose. attributive, countable, uncountable
"彁 is a ghost character from the Japanese JIS X 0208 character set."
- 21 Ellipsis of ghost pepper. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis
"Spicy or mild, lovely bells or scary ghosts, peppers belong in your garden. Not only are they delicious, they add a gorgeous pop of color to vegetable gardens. When starting pepper seeds, consider using a heat mat."
- 22 A game in which players take turns to add a letter to a possible word, trying not to complete a word. capitalized, often, uncountable
"GHOST. This is a spelling game. A person gives a letter, […] his next neighbor must think of a word beginning with this letter, and then say the second letter, […]"
- 23 White or pale. attributive, countable, uncountable
"ghost slug"
- 24 Transparent or translucent. attributive, countable, uncountable
"ghost ant"
- 25 Abandoned. attributive, countable, uncountable
"ghost town"
- 26 Remnant; remains. attributive, countable, uncountable
"ghost apples (a thin layer of ice in the shape of an apple, which forms around it and is left behind when the apple rots and falls out)"
- 27 Perceived or listed but not real. attributive, countable, uncountable
"ghost cellphone vibration"
- 28 Of a cryptid, supernatural or extraterrestrial nature. attributive, countable, uncountable
"ghost rocket"
- 29 Substitute. attributive, countable, uncountable
"ghost writer"
Verb
- 1 Of a disembodied soul: to appear (somewhere or to someone) in the form of an apparition; to haunt. literary, poetic, transitive
"since Julius Caesar, / Who at Philippi the good Brutus ghosted"
- 2 write for someone else wordnet
- 3 To imbue (something) with a ghost-like effect or hue. literary, poetic, transitive
"It spread slowly up from the sea-rim, a welling upwards of pure white light, ghosting the beach with silver and drawing the grey bastions of sandstone out of formless space."
- 4 haunt like a ghost; pursue wordnet
- 5 To continuously cause (someone or something) trouble; specifically, to continuously be in the thoughts of (someone) in a disturbing manner; to perturb, to trouble. broadly, figuratively, transitive
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 move like a ghost wordnet
- 7 To kill (someone). broadly, figuratively, slang, transitive
"My recommendation: Do me. Don't take the chance that I'll get shiv-happy on your wannabe ass. Ghost me, Riddick. Would if I were you. Though I notice he tried to ghost my ass. When he shot up that stranger instead."
- 8 To gray out (a visual element) to indicate that it is unavailable. broadly, figuratively, transitive
"Whenever a menu or menu item is inappropriate or unavailable for selection, it should be ghosted. Never allow the user to select something that does nothing in response."
- 9 To forcibly disconnect (an IRC user) who is using one's reserved nickname. Internet, broadly, figuratively, transitive
"I'm so untechnical that I once ghosted a registered IRC nick and then tried to identify myself to NickServ with the valid password before actually changing my nick to the aforementioned moniker."
- 10 To stop communicating with (someone) on social media, though text messages, etc., without explanation, especially as a way of ending a relationship; hence, to end a relationship with (someone) by stopping all communication without explanation. broadly, figuratively, slang, transitive
"I've recently been trying out Tinder, and while I match with people and even chat with them everything seems to be going well, but whenever I bring up meeting IRL, they are quick to ghost me."
- 11 To transfer (a prisoner) to another prison, usually without first informing the prisoner. UK, broadly, figuratively, transitive
"His power base, however, is undermined by him being constantly, “ghosted”, or moved from prison to prison."
- 12 Synonym of ghostwrite (“to write (a literary work or speech), or produce (an artistic work)), in the place of someone”); also, to carry out (an artistic performance) in the place of someone. transitive
"Here's how it went: Larry Parks as elderly Al Jolson was watching Larry Parks playing young Al Jolson in the first movie — in other words, Parks ghosting for Parks. At the same time, Jolson himself was ghosting the voices for both of them."
- 13 To appear suddenly or move like a disembodied soul; specifically (often sports); also (transitive, dated) followed by the dummy subject it: to move easily and quietly without anyone noticing; to slip. intransitive
"Arsenal came into the match under severe pressure and nerves were palpable early on as Pratley was brilliantly denied by Szczesny after ghosting in front of Kieran Gibbs"
- 14 Followed by for: synonym of ghostwrite (“to write a literary work or speech, or produce an artistic work, in the place of someone”); also, to carry out an artistic performance in the place of someone. intransitive
- 15 Of a sailing vessel: to sail seemingly with very little or no wind. intransitive
"They move without any visible sign of movement, like a wakeless ship ghosting over the water."
- 16 Apparently only in the writings of the Dutch-English physician Gideon Harvey (c. 1636–1640 – c. 1700–1702): to die, to expire. intransitive, obsolete
Adjective
- 1 In the form be ghost: not present or involved; absent, gone. not-comparable, slang
"Thug held up a middle finger. "A'ight y'all. I'm ghost.""
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Strange to say, he saw the ghost of his father."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ghost"?
Common synonyms include: specter, trace, abandoned town, act for, advertising writer, agent.
How do you use "ghost" in a sentence?
Strange to say, he saw the ghost of his father.
How do you pronounce "ghost"?
Pronounced /ɡəʊst/.
Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English gost, from Old English gāst, gǣst (“breath, spirit, soul, ghost”) (compare modern English Holy Ghost), from Proto-West Germanic *gaist, from Proto-Germanic *gaistaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰéysdos, from *ǵʰéysd- (“anger, agitation”). The h in the spelling appears in the Prologue to William Caxton’s Royal Book, printed in 1484, in a reference to the “Holy Ghoost”. It was likely influenced by Middle Dutch gheest, a common variant of geest. Both Caxton and his assistant Wynkyn de Worde had connections to the Low Countries. Doublet of geist. The adjective and verb are derived from the noun. The verb gained prominence in the 2010s. cognates * Danish gast (“ghost”), gejst (“enthusiasm”) * Dutch geest (“ghost, spirit”) * German Geist (“ghost, spirit”) * Luxembourgish Geescht (“ghost, spirit, spectre, phantom”) * Saterland Frisian Gäist, Jeest (“ghost, spirit”) * Scots gaist, ghaist (“ghost”) * Swedish gast (“ghost”) * Vilamovian gȧjst (“ghost, spirit”) * West Frisian geast (“ghost, spirit”) * Yiddish גײַסט (gayst, “ghost, spirit”) * Yola gaast (“ghost”)