What does "phantom" mean?

1. (a ghost) a ghost or a spirit that you think you see. 2. (an illusion) something that you think is real but only exists in your mind. 3. (medical/technical model) a model or object used in science to act like a human body part. 4. (fake or non-existent) describing something that is not real or does not actually exist, often used for fake businesses.

How do you use "phantom"?

Usually placed before the noun.

phantom

n. · adj.

US //ˈfænəm// UK //fˈɑːntəm// phan·tom

1 a ghost (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Literary

a ghost or a spirit that you think you see.

an apparition or ghost-like figure.

Example

The old stories say a phantom walks the halls of the castle at night.

Example

The poet described the mist rising from the lake as a pale phantom, haunting the shoreline until the sun burned it away.
2 an illusion (n.)
C1 Advanced Formal

something that you think is real but only exists in your mind.

a mental image or illusion that lacks physical reality.

Example

He was chasing a phantom of his past, trying to find a home that no longer existed.

Example

The promised economic recovery proved to be a mere phantom, vanishing as soon as the quarterly inflation figures were released.
- illusion
- delusion
- figment
- reality

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3 medical/technical model (n.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Medicine

a model or object used in science to act like a human body part.

a device or test object that simulates the physical characteristics of human tissue, often used to calibrate imaging equipment.

Example

The researchers used a water-filled phantom to test the new X-ray machine.

Example

Before the clinical trials began, the engineers calibrated the MRI scanner using a synthetic phantom designed to mimic the density of human brain tissue.
- model
- simulator
4 fake or non-existent (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

describing something that is not real or does not actually exist, often used for fake businesses.

fictitious, non-existent, or illusive; often used to describe fraudulent entities or sensations.

Example

The police discovered that the money was being sent to a phantom company.

Example

The patient complained of phantom pain in his limb, a common neurological phenomenon following an amputation.

Usage

Usually placed before the noun.
- real
- actual

Origin

Inherited from Middle English fantome, fanteme, from Old French fantosme, fantasme, from Latin phantasma (“an apparition, specter; (in Late Latin also) appearance, image”), from Ancient Greek φάντασμα (phántasma, “phantasm, an appearance, image, apparition, specter”), from φαντάζω (phantázō, “I make visible”). Doublet of phantasm.