ghosts

IPA/ɡəʊst/
KK[ɡˈosts]IPA/ɡoʊst/

ghosts — noun

  • ghostssingular
  • ghostsesplural

1. the visible form or presence of a person who has died, which some people believe

1.nounA2
Definition

the visible form or presence of a person who has died, which some people believe can appear to the living

Example

Yael woke up and saw a ghost standing at the foot of her bed.

collocation: saw a ghost

Local people say a ghost walks through the old castle halls at night.

Common collocations
  • ghost story
  • ghost town
  • see a ghost
  • believe in ghosts
Synonyms
  • spectre

    more literary and almost always frightening

  • phantom

    suggests something mysterious and hard to see, common in gothic stories

  • apparition

    formal; emphasises the act of appearing, often in witness reports

  • spirit

    broader term for any non-physical being, not necessarily a dead person

Grammar Patterns

see a ghost

believe in ghosts

ghost of + person

2. a painful memory of a bad event or person that stays in your mind and continues

2.nounB1
Definition

a painful memory of a bad event or person that stays in your mind and continues to upset you long afterwards

Example

Joon could not shake the ghost of the terrible year he spent in hospital.

collocation: the ghost of [bad experience]

The ghost of that car crash stayed with Gabriela for the rest of her life.

Common collocations
  • the ghost of [something]
  • be haunted by the ghost of
  • carry the ghost of
Synonyms
  • shadow

    more general; a shadow can be any lingering sadness, not necessarily from a specific event

  • scar

    emotional; suggests a lasting injury from a past experience

  • burden

    emphasises the weight of carrying the memory rather than its haunting quality

Grammar Patterns

the ghost of + bad experience

carry the ghost of + something

be haunted by the ghost of + something

Usage Note

Almost always used in the pattern 'the ghost of [something bad]'. The noun after 'of' is usually a painful event, memory, or feeling.

3. a writer who produces a book, article, or speech for another person, who then pu

3.nounC1
Definition

a writer who produces a book, article, or speech for another person, who then puts their own name on the work as if they had written it

Example

The actor paid a ghost to write his entire life story.

informal shortening: a ghost = a ghostwriter

Emily worked for years as a ghost, writing speeches for city politicians.

Common collocations
  • work as a ghost
  • hire a ghost
  • use a ghost
Synonyms
  • ghostwriter

    the full, formal form; preferred in serious writing

  • co-writer

    shares credit publicly with the named author

  • scribe

    old-fashioned general term for a writer or copyist, not specifically anonymous

Grammar Patterns

work as a ghost

hire a ghost

a ghost + writes/produces + work

Usage Note

This is the informal shortening of 'ghostwriter'. In formal writing, use the full word 'ghostwriter' instead.

Common Mistakes

She is a ghost in the publishing house.
She is a ghost at the publishing house.
'ghost' in this sense describes what someone does, not where they are; use 'at' for the workplace.

4. the smallest possible amount or sign of something, used when there is almost non

4.nounC1
Definition

the smallest possible amount or sign of something, used when there is almost none at all

Example

Not a ghost of a smile appeared on Wren's face during the long ceremony.

fixed phrase: not a ghost of [something]

Apinya looked through the files but found not a ghost of evidence anywhere.

Common collocations
  • not a ghost of
  • without a ghost of
Synonyms
  • trace

    more physical and concrete; you can have a trace of poison or a trace of blood

  • hint

    suggests something subtle that a careful observer might notice

  • shred

    used mainly with evidence, truth, or dignity — suggests a tiny remaining piece

Grammar Patterns

not a ghost of + noun

without a ghost of + noun

Usage Note

Almost always used in negative constructions: 'not a ghost of', 'without a ghost of'. The rare positive use (as in example 4) is literary.

Common Mistakes

There was a ghost of hope in his voice.
There was not a ghost of hope in his voice.
this sense is almost always negative; a positive use is very unusual and only found in literary writing.

ghosts — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all describe a supernatural being, but they differ in tone and context. Ghost is the everyday, neutral term for the spirit of a dead person that appears to the living. Spectre is more literary and almost always carries a sense of menace or dread — a spectre is frightening by nature. Phantom suggests something mysterious and elusive rather than straightforwardly scary; it is common in gothic fiction and can describe things that may not be real at all. Apparition is the most formal and detached — it emphasises the act of appearing and is used in neutral descriptions of sightings, like a witness report. Spirit is the broadest term; it can refer to any non-physical being, not necessarily a dead person, and can be kind or protective. If you say you saw a ghost, it sounds like a personal story. If you say you saw an apparition, you sound like you are giving a formal account.

spectre ↗phantom ↗apparitionspirit ↗

Common collocations

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

The word 'ghost' comes from Old English 'gāst', which meant 'spirit, soul, or breath' and is related to German 'Geist' (spirit, mind). The spelling with 'gh' appeared in the 15th century, probably influenced by Flemish printers who added the 'h' to match Dutch 'gheest'. For centuries, 'ghost' and 'spirit' were used almost interchangeably. The verb senses are much newer — 'ghost' meaning 'to write for someone else' appeared around the 1920s in American publishing, while 'ghost' meaning 'to suddenly cut off contact' emerged in the early 2000s from online dating culture.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb