phantom

Definition

  • noun: the soul of a dead person thought of as living in an unseen world or as appearing to living people
  • noun: something apparent to sense but with no substantial existence
  • often + 'of'
  • synonyms: apparition, ghost

Examples

  • a 'phantom pregnancy' [=a medical condition in which a woman believes that she is pregnant and can appear to be pregnant when she is not pregnant]

  • The book is about the 'phantoms' that are said to haunt the nation's cemeteries.

  • People claim to have seen a 'phantom' ship floating on the lake.

Movie quotes