A ghost in a dream usually represents an old memory. If the ghost is someone that you know, this memory will be associated with that person.
You may dream of a ghost when you have been repressing a difficult memory or upsetting thoughts or emotions. Your dream is telling you that it is time to deal with the memory, thoughts or emotions that you have been repressing.
Because a ghost is insubstantial, a ghost in a dream can symbolize something that you are hoping for but that you have not yet achieved. The behavior of the ghost in your dream will tell you whether you expect your plans to be fulfilled.
If a person who is alive in real life appears as a ghost in your dream, you may feel that they are hiding something from you.
A ghost that you do not recognize can represent a part of yourself that you do not want to face.
Usually, after someone close to you dies in real life, that person will appear to you as a living person in your dreams. If you dream that they have become a ghost, you may feel that an important part of that person’s life was hidden from you, or you may be worried that they will be forgotten.