English Idioms

Ghost Someone

Meaning:

• To suddenly stop all communication with someone without giving a reason, especially in a friendship or dating relationship

Frequency of Use: Medium to high

1. I thought our date went well, but then she ghosted me and never replied to my messages.
2. He ghosted his best friend after they had a big argument.
3. I don’t like it when people ghost someone instead of being honest.
4. She was tired of the drama, so she ghosted everyone in the group chat.
5. If you ghost someone, they might feel confused or hurt.

1. Has anyone ever ghosted you? How did you feel and what happened next?
2. Why do you think people choose to ghost someone instead of talking about the problem?
3. If you wanted to stop talking to someone, how could you do it without ghosting them?

Situation:

You have been texting with a new classmate for a few weeks. At first, the conversations were fun, but now they keep sending too many messages and asking personal questions. You feel uncomfortable and don’t want to talk anymore, but you’re not sure how to end the conversation politely. Think of three possible ways to resolve this situation.

Possible Answer with the Idiom:
“I didn’t know what to say, so I decided to just ghost him and stop replying to his messages.”

Possible Answer without the Idiom (More Diplomatic):
“I told him I was busy and didn’t have time to chat anymore, so we stopped messaging each other.”

Answer the questions based on the information in the video.

Son: Hey, dad, do you want to go out to a movie tonight?

Father: Well, son, we could do that, but what about Sarah? I thought you were going out with her.

Son: Oh, dad, it’s such a long story. I don’t really want to talk about it.

Father: Oh, son, you can tell me anything. I’ve been through a lot in my life.

Son: Well, dad, she started ghosting me about a week ago after I gave her a book . . . A grammar book for her birthday. I mean, you know, people like grammar books.

Father: Ghosting, huh? So you mean that she’s cutting off all communication, right? You know, son, I’d probably do that, too, if you gave me a grammar book. I mean, who in the right mind would give someone a grammar book for a birthday present? Jeez. Come on, son.