phantom

1 of 2

noun

phan·tom ˈfan-təm

: something apparent to sense but with no substantial existence : apparition

: something elusive or visionary

: an object of continual dread or abhorrence

the phantom of disease and want

: something existing in appearance only

: a representation of something abstract, ideal, or incorporeal

she was a phantom of delight

William Wordsworth

phantomlike

ˈfan-təm-ˌlīk

adverb or adjective

phantom

2 of 2

adjective

: of the nature of, suggesting, or being a phantom : illusory

: fictitious, dummy

phantom voters

Example Sentences

Noun The book is about the phantoms that are said to haunt the nation's cemeteries. The crisis is merely a phantom made up by the media. Adjective People claim to have seen a phantom ship floating on the lake. A number of ballots from phantom voters had to be thrown out.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Does the mere thought of biting into ice give you chills and phantom pain?

The Salt Lake Tribune, 21 Nov. 2022 Does the mere thought of biting into ice give you chills and phantom pain?

Iron Monk Solutions, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Nov. 2022 In 2004, there was a film adaptation directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Gerard Butler as the phantom.

Adrienne Tong, WSJ, 3 Nov. 2022 But after things go awry due to a mysterious phantom attempting to sabotage the night, Pete joins forces with his two younger siblings to unmask the villain and save the premiere.

People Staff, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2022 Edgerrin James busting off one long run after another and the Brad Melsby phantom fumble will always occupy the darkest of Bruins’ nightmares after the team bungled a chance to appear in the first Bowl Championship Series title game.

Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2022 Tatum’s tech came with some redemption when the phantom foul call Embiid earned was overturned upon video review.

Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Oct. 2022 Afonso’s collection of 12-foot skeletons, a 15-foot phantom, a flying witch, and countless other goblins and ghouls, caught the attention of Eddy Fritz of Plainville and Jerrod Delagrave of Southington.

Alison Cross, Hartford Courant, 17 Oct. 2022 Thence emerges, like a phantom, my defense of candy corn.

Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2022

Adjective

The production cut announced Wednesday will reduce global daily production by about 2 percent, though some of that is a phantom reduction because the group’s members were already underproducing from their own goals.

Ben Hubbard, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2022 Part of the fun is coming up with creative ways to display the finished product — just as the Tribune’s phantom food editor Mary Meade did.

Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 20 Oct. 2022 The time away has sharpened his instincts and craft: Field emerged from hiatus with an original story dense enough in ideas to pass for something based on a Pulitzer winner, but without any of the phantom impressions of Cliff Notes truncation.

A.a. Dowd, Chron, 14 Oct. 2022 Is a dramatic and colorful storyline enough to turn a phantom figure into an actual character?

Mj Corey, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2022 The Bears’ loss came at Notre Dame last Saturday and, three days later, Cal head coach Justin Wilcox was still at a loss regarding a phantom penalty that led to a touchdown for the Irish.

Steve Kroner, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 Sep. 2022 At times, Taras spoke of Mariupol not as a real place in the world, under temporary occupation by the Russian Federation, but as a memory or a dream, a phantom city situated somewhere in the distant past.

David Kortava, The New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2022 It’ll be blamed for sham robberies, phantom murders and the NCAA’s transfer portal.

Damon Young, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2022 Hubbard now battles sharp phantom pains and a loss of memory and cognizant skills.

Tim Craig And Lori Rozsa, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'phantom.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English fantesme, fantosme, fantome, fantom "what only seems to have reality or value, vanity, illusion, apparition, falsehood," borrowed from Anglo-French fantosme, fantasme — more at phantasm

Note: For the etymological relation between this word and phantasm, see the note at the latter word. The spelling with initial ph- is a restoration from the Greek source.

Adjective

Middle English fantom, from attributive use of fantosme, fantom phantom entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of phantom was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century