# phantom

/ˈfænəm/ (US) · /fˈɑːntəm/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/phantom
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. a ghost

noun · CEFR B2 · Literary

a ghost or a spirit that you think you see.

For teachers: an apparition or ghost-like figure.

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

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

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

For teachers: a mental image or illusion that lacks physical reality.

- He was chasing a phantom of his past, trying to find a home that no longer existed.
- The promised economic recovery proved to be a mere phantom, vanishing as soon as the quarterly inflation figures were released.

### 3. medical/technical model

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

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

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

- The researchers used a water-filled phantom to test the new X-ray machine.
- Before the clinical trials began, the engineers calibrated the MRI scanner using a synthetic phantom designed to mimic the density of human brain tissue.

### 4. fake or non-existent

adjective · CEFR B2

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

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

- The police discovered that the money was being sent to a phantom company.
- The patient complained of phantom pain in his limb, a common neurological phenomenon following an amputation.

Usage: Usually placed before the noun.

## Examples

- He felt a phantom itch in his missing arm.
- The patient reported experiencing phantom pain in his left leg months after the surgery was completed.
- The neurologist explained that phantom sensations occur when the brain continues to receive signals from nerves that once served the amputated limb, creating a vivid but false perception.

---

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.