Phrase guide

ghost town

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