noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈɡəʊst taʊn/
General-American:/ˈɡoʊst taʊn/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A town which has become deserted, usually due to failing economic activity, especially one that still has substantial visible remains.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Anything that has been deserted or abandoned, or has been empty all along.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
a deserted settlement (especially in western United States)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: town
History
Etymology
No etymology was provided for this word.
Across languages
Translations
87 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
مَدِينَة أَشْبَاح
— town which has become deserted
Arabic:
مَدِينَة الْأَشْبَاح
— town which has become deserted
Armenian:
քաղաք-ուրվական
(kʻaġakʻ-urvakan)
— town which has become deserted
Armenian:
լքված բնակավայր
(lkʻvac bnakavayr)
— town which has become deserted
Azerbaijani:
kabus şəhər
— town which has become deserted
Basque:
herri hustu
— town which has become deserted
Belarusian:
пакі́нуты го́рад
(pakínuty hórad)
— town which has become deserted
Belarusian:
изоставен град
(izóstavjen hrad)
— town which has become deserted
Bulgarian:
град-при́зрак
(grad-prízrak)
— town which has become deserted
Catalan:
despoblat
— town which has become deserted
Catalan:
poble fantasma
— town which has become deserted
Chinese Cantonese:
鬼域
(gwai2 wik6)
— town which has become deserted
Chinese Mandarin:
鬼鎮 /鬼镇
(guǐzhèn)
— town which has become deserted
Chinese Mandarin:
鬼城
(guǐchéng)
— town which has become deserted
Czech:
zaniklé sídlo
— town which has become deserted
Czech:
opuštěné město
— town which has become deserted
Danish:
spøgelsesby
— town which has become deserted
Dutch:
spookstad
— town which has become deserted
Esperanto:
fantomurbo
— town which has become deserted
Esperanto:
dezerta urbo
— town which has become deserted
Estonian:
kummituslinn
— town which has become deserted
Finnish:
aavekaupunki
— town which has become deserted
Finnish:
autiokaupunki
— town which has become deserted
Finnish:
haamukaupunki
— town which has become deserted
French:
ville fantôme
— town which has become deserted
Galician:
cidade pantasma
— town which has become deserted
Georgian:
ნაქალაქარი
(nakalakari)
— town which has become deserted
German:
Geisterstadt
— town which has become deserted
German:
Geisterdorf
— town which has become deserted
German:
Geistersiedlung
— town which has become deserted
German:
Geisterort
— town which has become deserted
German:
Ghosttown
— town which has become deserted
Greek:
πόλη φάντασμα
(póli fántasma)
— town which has become deserted
Hebrew:
יִשּׁוּב רְפָאִים
(yishúv refa'ím)
— town which has become deserted
Hebrew:
עִיר רְפָאִים
('ír refa'ím)
— town which has become deserted
Hindi:
भूत नगर
(bhūt nagar)
— town which has become deserted
Hungarian:
kísértetváros
— town which has become deserted
Hungarian:
szellemváros
— town which has become deserted
Icelandic:
draugabær
— town which has become deserted
Indonesian:
kota hantu
— town which has become deserted
Irish:
baile tréigthe
— town which has become deserted
Italian:
città fantasma
— town which has become deserted
Japanese:
ゴーストタウン
(gōsutotaun)
— town which has become deserted
Japanese:
死都
(shito)
— town which has become deserted
Japanese:
廃村
(haison)
— town which has become deserted
Korean:
유령 도시
(yuryeong dosi)
— town which has become deserted
Northern Kurdish:
bajarê terkkirî
— town which has become deserted
Lithuanian:
miestas vaiduoklis
— town which has become deserted
Lombard:
cittaa fantasma
— town which has become deserted
Luxembourgish:
Geeschterstad
— town which has become deserted
Macedonian:
град на ду́хови
(grad na dúhovi)
— town which has become deserted
Macedonian:
ду́ховград
(dúhovgrad)
— town which has become deserted
Macedonian:
за́пустен град
(zápusten grad)
— town which has become deserted
Norwegian Bokmål:
spøkelsesby
— town which has become deserted
Norwegian Nynorsk:
spøkelsesby
— town which has become deserted
Norwegian Nynorsk:
spøkjelsesby
— town which has become deserted
Persian:
شهر متروکه
(šahr matruke)
— town which has become deserted
Polish:
miasto widmo
— town which has become deserted
Portuguese:
cidade-fantasma
— town which has become deserted
Romanian:
oraș-fantomă
— town which has become deserted
Russian:
го́род-при́зрак
(górod-prízrak)
— town which has become deserted
Russian:
забро́шенный го́род
(zabróšennyj górod)
— town which has become deserted
Russian:
исче́знувший го́род
(isčéznuvšij górod)
— town which has become deserted
Russian:
поки́нутый го́род
(pokínutyj górod)
— town which has become deserted
Scots:
ghaist toun
— town which has become deserted
Serbo-Croatian:
гра̑д духова
— town which has become deserted
Serbo-Croatian:
grȃd duhova
— town which has become deserted
Slovak:
mesto duchov
— town which has become deserted
Spanish:
despoblado
— town which has become deserted
Spanish:
pueblo fantasma
— town which has become deserted
Spanish:
ciudad fantasma
— town which has become deserted
Swedish:
spökstad
— town which has become deserted
Tagalog:
bayang naulog
— town which has become deserted
Tamil:
வெறிச்சோடிய நகரம்
(veṟiccōṭiya nakaram)
— town which has become deserted
Tamil:
ஆளரவமற்ற நகரம்
(āḷaravamaṟṟa nakaram)
— town which has become deserted
Thai:
เมืองผี
(mʉʉang pǐi)
— town which has become deserted
Turkish:
hayalet kasaba
— town which has become deserted
Ukrainian:
мі́сто-при́вид
(místo-prývyd)
— town which has become deserted
Uyghur:
ئالۋاستى شەھەر
(alwasti sheher)
— town which has become deserted
Vietnamese:
thành phố bỏ hoang
— town which has become deserted
Vietnamese:
phố ma
— town which has become deserted
Vietnamese:
phố hoang
— town which has become deserted
Vietnamese:
xóm ma quỷ
— town which has become deserted
Waray-Waray:
bungto nga binayaan
— town which has become deserted
Welsh:
tref anghyfannedd
— town which has become deserted
Northern Kurdish:
terkkirî
— anything that has been deserted or abandoned
Polish:
miasto widmo
— anything that has been deserted or abandoned