plural hauntings
: an act of haunting
especially
: visitation or inhabitation by a ghost
… its early history is replete with drama: duels, murders, shipwrecks, … even ghostly hauntings. —
Sally Gibson
Sally Gibson When asked about hauntings on Tuesday's tour, [Albert] Walavich said he knew he would get a question about ghosts on Halloween, but he doesn't believe any haunt the grounds. —Taylor Hartz
Taylor Hartz
: having qualities (such as sadness or beauty) that linger in the memory : not easily forgotten
a haunting melody
haunting images
… pale, branchless tree trunks with a haunting, Georgia O'Keeffe quality …—Susannah Master
Susannah Masterhaunting
3 of 3present participle of haunt entry 1
Examples of haunting in a Sentence
Adjective
the haunting tones of the Highland bagpipes
Recent Examples on the Web
Katie Rife, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
Steven Soderbergh spooks Sundance with the haunting (and surprisingly funny) Presence
Their boss, Arthur Stieglitz (Brosnan), is a force to be reckoned with — a menacing figure who demands precision and flawless work from his employees.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Vulture Editors, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
With a limited color palette and very spare design, the show subverts the commonplace elements of an office and invents a haunting visual language all its own that creeps you out while drawing you in.
—Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for haunting
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Another, given the shots from Mia’s POV in the final scene, would be to tell the story of Mia’s hauntings from Mia’s perspective — like a horrific spin on David Lowery’s A Ghost Story (2017).
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
Steven Soderbergh spooks Sundance with the haunting (and surprisingly funny) Presence
Their boss, Arthur Stieglitz (Brosnan), is a force to be reckoned with — a menacing figure who demands precision and flawless work from his employees.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
This is a haunting, unpredictable novel that’s hard to shake after reading.
—Vulture Editors, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
With a limited color palette and very spare design, the show subverts the commonplace elements of an office and invents a haunting visual language all its own that creeps you out while drawing you in.
—Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for haunting
Cite this Entry
“Haunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haunting. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share