as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination
the company claimed that the only hazards involving its product were the phantom dangers created by consumer groups
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in ghost
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
Halloween is supposed to be a time when phantoms return to walk among us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of phantom
Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 May 2025
An investigation into the phantom cows scam and three of the firms behind it by Uruguay's Prosecutor's Office for Money Laundering Crimes is ongoing, Reuters reported.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
Christopher Rudolph, People.com, 9 May 2025
See more on: Jeremy Renner Discover More in Health and Science
Addressing Tinnitus: There aren’t many cures for people who hear phantom ringing or buzzing noises — but there are ways to manage the condition.
—Maggie Astor, New York Times, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for phantom
Adjective
Is Sachiko merely a model for Etsuko to emulate, a phantom projection of what her future could be, or the older Etsuko’s distanced reflection of her past?
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 May 2025
An investigation into the phantom cows scam and three of the firms behind it by Uruguay's Prosecutor's Office for Money Laundering Crimes is ongoing, Reuters reported.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
Noun
Season 4 continued to expand the paranormal world of Ghosts, with the funny phantoms developing new powers, the introduction of even more specters roaming the Woodstone grounds — and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar), finally able to see the ghosts his wife, Sam (Rose McIver) is always speaking with.
—Christopher Rudolph, People.com, 9 May 2025
See more on: Jeremy Renner Discover More in Health and Science
Addressing Tinnitus: There aren’t many cures for people who hear phantom ringing or buzzing noises — but there are ways to manage the condition.
—Maggie Astor, New York Times, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for phantom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantom
Adjective
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The soundtrack shifts toward lighter indie rock and away from brain-numbing redundancies, while the story treats those imaginary genre sketches like an accidental off-ramp left in the rearview.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
10 July 2025
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The Royal Observatory Greenwich is home to Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian, an imaginary line of longitude, designated as 0 degrees that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Noun
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But what do the locals actually think of their vampire-like namesake, who is believed to be the vengeful ghost of a woman who died in pregnancy or childbirth? To find out, researcher Timo Duile headed to Pontianak for conversations with ethnic Malay Muslim and Dayak Christian residents.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
5 July 2025
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The ghosts of late 1950s-early 1960s country favorites Maybelle Carter and Patsy Cline share space with pop-soul icons The Shirelles.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
The Terrifier film franchise stars Art the Clown as a demonic killer who stalks his victims in the fictitious Miles County in Staten Island, New York.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
10 July 2025
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Senegal just ditched its plans for the singer’s multibillion-dollar smart city in the country, reminiscent of Marvel’s fictitious nation in its Black Panther franchise.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
10 July 2025
Noun
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If the humor clicks with you, there’s joy to be had in accidentally setting yourself on fire over and over again while being chased by a Slenderman-like apparition made of Post-Its.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
19 June 2025
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Venus reaches its point of greatest western elongation on June 1, at which time the dazzling 'morning star' will be at its most distant point from the sun in Earth's sky during its pre-dawn apparition.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
31 May 2025
Noun
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The fun-loving spirit of the shimmery product was captured in the punky campaign, inspired by the 2012 thriller in which Gomez starred alongside Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine and James Franco.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
8 July 2025
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There was no moment in the tournament that better captured the spirit of football and its role as an emotional release valve than when every member of the squad hounded Gray.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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Its mythical story left an indelible mark on my mind.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
Opened in 2020, the museum features interactive exhibits dedicated to the mythical sea creature.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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In April 2025, Pascale Hutton, who plays Rosemary Coulter, shared a post on Instagram posing with her on-screen husband, Kavan Smith, who portrays Leland Coulter, and their fictional daughter, Marigold.—
Francesca Gariano,
People.com,
5 July 2025
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Again, these are fictional groups from a Netflix movie (albeit, of course, with real singers behind them).—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phantom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantom. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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