phantom
UK ['fæn.təm] US [-tˌəm] noun countable
■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; a ghost 幽灵；鬼魂•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驶过这栋房子的庭院。 •humorous The phantom wine-drinker has been around - this was almost a full bottle when I put it in the fridge (= an unknown person has been drinking the wine) !附近一定有嗜酒幽灵出没——我把酒放进冰箱时还几乎是满满的一瓶！
UK ['fæn.təm] US [-tˌəm] adjective [before noun]
■describes something that you imagine exists or that appears to exist, although in fact it does not 幻觉的；幻影的；虚假的•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 and felt ill, she later discovered it was a phantom (USfalse)pregnancy.尽管她肚子越来越大了且感到恶心，但后来却发现自己是精神性假怀孕。 |