DictionaryhauntGhostly presence
verb / noun

haunt

HAWNT/hɔːnt/

To return persistently to a place as a ghost.

Local legends say a restless ghost haunts the old stone church.

Three adjacent, text-free views of the same stair landing show the same ghost appearing there repeatedly: in daylight, at night, and in daylight again.
Etymology

Hanter meant visiting regularly: a ghost “haunts” a place by returning to it repeatedly, especially a house where it once lived.

In context

Deschutes Public Library55:04
the dead physically emerging to haunt the living has not been limited to Northern Ireland
A Novel Idea: Literature, History & Memory in 20th-Century Ireland

More examples

  • They believe a sailor's ghost still haunts the lighthouse.
  • The ghost of a former owner haunted this house for years.
  • Stories of spirits haunting the castle keep some visitors away.

Forms

haunt · haunts · haunted · haunting

Similar words

visit
Suggests a temporary stay, not a recurring ghostly presence.
inhabit
Means to live somewhere, without suggesting a ghostly presence.