ghost

A disembodied soul; a soul or spirit of a deceased person; a spirit appearing after death.countableuncountable

• Everyone believed that the ghost of an old lady haunted the crypt.
• He believes in ghosts.

A spirit; a human soul.archaiccountableliterary

• hen gins her grieued ghost thus to lament and mourne.
• Enlightening the eyes and a taste for hope, emotions are felt from an inward ghost.

Any faint shadowy semblance; an unsubstantial image.broadlycountableuncountable

• not a ghost of a chance
• the ghost of an idea

A false image, such as in a photographic print or negative, on a television screen, radar display, or telescope, caused by poor or double reception or reflection (from a lens or screen).countableuncountable

• There was less flicker, jitter was nonexistent, and the screen pattern had been rendered far more viewworthy, with ghosts being virtually suppressed.

A faint image that remains after an attempt to remove graffiti.countableslanguncountable

• Regardless of GRM used, graffiti ghosts persist. Protect cladding with surface coating or replace with graffiti resistant paint or laminate.

Ellipsis of ghostwriter.abbreviationalt-ofcountable

• I’ve written both as a ghost for experts and under my name.

A nonexistent person invented to obtain some (typically fraudulent) benefit.countableuncountable

• Before filling out this form, please visit the Pennsic Pre-Registration Page to create your account and enter your campers and ghosts [nonexistent campers one pays for to legitimately increase the size of one's allotted camping space].

A dead person whose identity is stolen by another (see ghosting).countableuncountable

An unresponsive user on IRC, resulting from the user's client disconnecting without notifying the server.Internetcountableuncountable

• This will let you open a query with NickServ again so you can remove your “ghost” from the server: […]

A copy of a file or record.countableuncountable

In the form be ghost: not present or involved; absent, gone.not-comparableslang

• Thug held up a middle finger. "A'ight y'all. I'm ghost."
• But I don't see no competition in the game and I'm pissing on it If it ain't about the family, then I'm ghost and that's a promise

Of a disembodied soul: to appear (somewhere or to someone) in the form of an apparition; to haunt.literarypoetictransitive

• since Julius Caesar, / Who at Philippi the good Brutus ghosted

To imbue (something) with a ghost-like effect or hue.literarypoetictransitive

• 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.

To continuously cause (someone or something) trouble; specifically, to continuously be in the thoughts of (someone) in a disturbing manner; to perturb, to trouble.broadlyfigurativelytransitive

To kill (someone).broadlyfigurativelyslang

• 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.
• He just ghosted two guys, and I never even saw him. Plan was to clean the bank, ghost the mercs, break wide through the tunnel.

To gray out (a visual element) to indicate that it is unavailable.broadlyfigurativelytransitive

• 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.

To forcibly disconnect (an IRC user) who is using one's reserved nickname.Internetbroadlyfiguratively

• 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.

To stop communicating with (someone) on social media, through 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.broadlyfigurativelyslang

• 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.
• He had texted, called, and emailed a bunch since then. I hadn't meant to ghost, but it was just easier not to deal with it.

To transfer (a prisoner) to another prison, usually without first informing the prisoner.UKbroadlyfiguratively

• His power base, however, is undermined by him being constantly, “ghosted”, or moved from prison to prison.

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.

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
• At the flank of the main stage, I took root for an hour, until a female form ghosted in front of me that I recognised from university two years before.