From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishghostghost1 /ɡəʊst $ ɡoʊst/ ●●● S3 noun [countable] 1 spiritRF the spirit of a dead person that some people think they can feel or see in a placeghost of the ghost of Old Tom Morris They say the young girl’s ghost still haunts (=often appears in) the house. He looked as if he’d seen a ghost (=he looked very frightened). → Holy Ghost, the2 memory/effect the memory or effect of someone or something bad that lived, existed, or happened in the pastghost of The ghost of Stalinism still affects life in Russia today.3 → the ghost of a smile/sound etc4 television/computerAMT a second image that is not clear on a television or computer screen5 → give up the ghost6 → (not) a ghost of a chanceTHESAURUSghost the spirit of a dead person that some people think they can feel or see in a placeHis ghost is believed to haunt the house.spirit a creature without a physical body, such as an angel or ghostevil spiritsthe spirit worldapparition an image of a dead person that someone sees suddenly for a short timeHe claimed to have seen an apparition in the church.poltergeist a ghost that people cannot see, which throws things or moves things aroundThe house was haunted by a poltergeist that makes things move around all by themselves, sometimes quite big things like beds or wardrobes. spook informal a ghostI’m not scared of spooks.phantom literary a frightening and unclear image of a dead personThey had seen phantoms gliding on the surface of the water.spectre British English, specter American English literary a ghost, especially a frightening oneShe had looked like a spectre.The following night, the spectre appeared again.
Examples from the Corpus
ghost• The San Joaquin is but a ghost.• More a ghost than a man at that point, standing there in what looked like a gray sack, shivering.• Do you think she saw a ghost?• Though he wasn't a ghost she was still too scared to touch that small, shaky hand.• The stars showed the way, but faintly, like lamps along a road for ghosts.• Do you know any good ghost stories?• Do you believe in ghosts?• They say the captain's ghost still haunts the waterfront.• Hindus believe that ghosts are scared of fire.• The church is haunted by the ghost of a young man who was killed there on his wedding day.• The ghost can be heard going up and down the stairs in the middle of the night, Ackley said.• The ghost of Stalinism still affects life in Russia today.• We lucky this ghost is a baby.ghost ... haunts• Mermaids have been sighted there and a ghost haunts a derelict bothy near the loch.• It is said that his ghost still haunts the crypts below the tower and occasionally assists searching scholars.ghostghost2 verb [transitive] TCNto write something as a ghost writer→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
ghost• The former reporter ghosted Reagan's autobiography.• Moving soundlessly on his thick rubber soles, he ghosted swiftly down to the lowest platform.From Longman Business Dictionaryghostghost1 /gəʊstgoʊst/ noun [countable]HUMAN RESOURCES people who are listed as workers on a company’s books and PAYROLL, but who do not do any work for the companySome contractors, in the interest of labor harmony, hire ghosts.Exhibitors complained that their bills are inflated byghost workers supposedly employed by the exhibition centre.ghostghost2 verb [transitive] to write something as a GHOSTWRITERShe received a generous advance fee for the book she’s ghosting.→ See Verb tableOrigin ghost1 Old English gast 