(~s)
1.
A ~ is a ghost.
They vanished down the stairs like two ~s...
N-COUNT
2.
You use ~ to describe something which you think you experience but which is not real.
She was always taking days off for what her colleagues considered ~ illnesses.
...a ~ pregnancy.
ADJ: ADJ n
3.
Phantom can refer to something that is done by an unknown person, especially something criminal.
...victims of alleged ‘~’ withdrawals from high-street cash machines.
ADJ: ADJ n
4.
Phantom is used to describe business organizations, agreements, or goods which do not really exist, but which someone pretends do exist in order to cheat people.
...a ~ trading scheme at a Wall Street investment bank.
ADJ: ADJ n