a spirit of a dead person believed by some to visit the living as a pale, almost transparent form of a person, animal, or other object

Synonym: ghost (SPIRIT)

like a ghost

A phantom coach is said to pass through the grounds of this house when there's a full moon. 据说月圆时一辆幽灵马车就会从这座房子的庭院里驶过。

humorous The phantom wine-drinker has been around (= an unknown person has been drinking the wine)! 附近一定有嗜酒幽灵出没！

used to describe something that you imagine exists or that appears to exist, although in fact it does not

Although she had to have her leg amputated, she still feels as though she's got a phantom limb. 尽管不得已把一条腿截去了，但她仍觉得自己仿佛有条虚幻的腿。

They discovered it was a phantom organization set up for the processing of drug profits. 他们发现这只是一个遮人耳目、处理毒品利润的组织。

UK Although she grew bigger, she later discovered it was a phantom (US false) pregnancy. 尽管她肚子越来越大，但后来却发现是精神性假妊娠。