INDEX:
1. a ghost
2. when there are ghosts in a place
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ DIE
↑ DEAD
↑ BODY
↑ FRIGHTENED/FRIGHTENING
↑ SCREAM
↑ MYSTERIOUS
↑ STRANGE
↑ MAGIC
↑ IMAGINE
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1. a ghost
▷ ghost /gəʊst/ [countable noun]
the spirit of a dead person that some people believe they can see or hear :
▪ ‘The ghost can be heard going up and down the stairs in the middle of the night,’ Ackley said.
▪ Do you believe in ghosts?
▪ Hindus believe that ghosts are scared of fire.
ghost of somebody
▪ The church is haunted by the ghost of a young man who was killed there on his wedding day.
ghost story
▪ Do you know any good ghost stories?
▷ ghostly /ˈgəʊstli/ [adjective usually before noun]
looking like a ghost, or making you think of ghosts :
▪ A ghostly figure hovered at the top of the stairs.
▪ In the last scene of the play, a ghostly female figure shimmers into the room, her arms laden with books.
▪ She felt the touch of a ghostly hand on her shoulder.
▷ spirit /ˈspɪrɪt, ˈspɪrət/ [countable noun]
the part of a person that, according to some people’s beliefs, continues to live after they have died :
spirit of somebody
▪ In Japan people believe that the spirits of the dead return to visit the earth every summer during the Obon festival.
evil spirits
spirits that want to harm people
▪ My grandparents used to wear charms to protect themselves against evil spirits.
▷ poltergeist /ˈpɒltəʳgaɪstǁˈpəʊl-/ [countable noun]
a type of ghost you cannot see, that moves furniture and throws things around :
▪ Clark says the poltergeist scatters pots and pans over the kitchen floor, opens locked doors and frightens the family dog.
▷ phantom /ˈfæntəm/ [countable noun]
a frightening and unclear image of a dead person - used especially in literature :
▪ Suddenly a phantom appeared out of the mist, terrifying the hikers.
▷ apparition /ˌæpəˈrɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
an image of a dead person that you see suddenly and only for a short time :
▪ The women said they saw an apparition in the church, next to the altar.
▪ The apparition ran silently across the lobby and disappeared through a window.
▷ spectre British /specter American /ˈspektəʳ/ [countable noun]
a ghost, especially a frightening one - used especially in literature :
▪ They say that the spectres of the murdered children walk through the grounds at night.
▪ The spectre is reputed to be that of Frances Culpepper, daughter of Lord John Freschville.
▷ the supernatural /ðə ˌsuːpəʳˈnætʃ ə rəl, ˌsjuː-ǁˌsuː-/ [uncountable noun]
the world of ghosts, spirits etc and things that cannot be explained by science :
▪ Many of the people here continue to believe in the supernatural.
▪ stories about the supernatural
supernatural [adjective only before noun]
▪ supernatural forces
▪ The villagers believed that she had supernatural powers.
▷ things that go bump in the night /ˌθɪŋz ðət gəʊ ˌbʌmp ɪn ðə ˈnaɪt/ [noun phrase]
ghosts and other strange frightening things in general - used humorously :
▪ She’s always been a bit scared of things that go bump in the night.
2. when there are ghosts in a place
▷ haunted /ˈhɔːntɪd, ˈhɔːntəd/ [adjective]
a place that is haunted has ghosts in it :
▪ The locals say the villas are haunted.
haunted house
▪ Both John and his wife Susy are convinced the house is haunted.
▪ Billed as ‘America’s most haunted house’, the Myrtles Plantation is supposedly inhabited by 14 ghosts.
▷ haunt /hɔːnt/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
if a ghost haunts a place, it appears there often :
▪ The ghost of the murdered prince still haunts the castle.
be haunted by
▪ Legends say the building is haunted by ghosts.
▷ spooky /ˈspuːki/ [adjective] informal
a place that is spooky feels strange and makes you feel that there are ghosts there :
▪ Let’s get out of here, this place is really spooky!
▪ a spooky castle
▪ He lived in kind of a spooky place at the end of a long dirt road.