# ghost away

CEFR C2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/ghost-away
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to move someone or something away quietly and secretly so that nobody notices.

For teachers: to remove or spirit someone or something away in a stealthy, surreptitious manner; often used in the passive voice to describe a disappearance.

## Examples

- The guards ghosted the witness away through a back door.
- Before the reporters could ask any questions, the celebrity was ghosted away in a black car.
- The rare manuscripts were ghosted away from the library under the cover of night, leaving no trace of the theft for the morning staff.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The money was ghosted from the safe." but "The money was ghosted away from the safe." — the particle 'away' is necessary to complete the meaning of removal or disappearance.

## Usage notes

- transitive; the object usually goes between 'ghost' and 'away'.
- Teaching tip: this is a rare, literary phrasal verb; connect it to the noun 'ghost' to help students visualize the silent, invisible movement it describes.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.