vanish

[ van-ish ]

verb (used without object)

1. to disappear from sight, especially quickly; become invisible:

   The frost vanished when the sun came out.

   Synonyms: evanesce

   Antonyms: appear

2. to go away, especially furtively or mysteriously; disappear by quick departure:

   The thief vanished in the night.

3. to disappear by ceasing to exist; come to an end:

   The pain vanished after he took an aspirin.

4. Mathematics. (of a number, quantity, or function) to become zero.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to disappear.

noun

1. Phonetics. the last part of a vowel sound when it differs noticeably in quality from the main sound, as the faint (ē) at the end of the (ā) in the pronunciation of pain.

vanish

/ ˈvænɪʃ /

verb

1. to disappear, esp suddenly or mysteriously
2. to cease to exist; fade away
3. maths to become zero

noun

1. rare.
   phonetics the second and weaker of the two vowels in a falling diphthong

Derived Forms

• ˈvanishingly, adverb
• ˈvanisher, noun

Other Words From

• vanish·er noun
• vanish·ing·ly adverb
• vanish·ment noun
• non·vanish·ing adjective
• outvanish verb (used with object)
• un·vanish·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vanish¹

1275–1325; Middle English vanisshen, vanissen < Middle French evaniss-, long stem of e ( s ) vanir ≪ Latin ex- ex- ¹ + vānēscere to pass away, equivalent to vān ( us ) vain + -ēscere inchoative suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of vanish¹

C14: vanissen, from Old French esvanir, from Latin ēvānēscere to evaporate, from ē- ex- ¹+ vānēscere to pass away, from vānus empty

Idioms and Phrases

see under into thin air .

Synonym Study

See disappear.

Example Sentences

He has a line in the middle of the play that reads, “In an instant, all will vanish and we’ll be alone once more in the midst of nothingness.”

From Los Angeles Times

The investigation gained national attention, generating a sense of fear about how a schoolgirl could vanish in a place like Hebden Bridge.

From BBC

Only he didn’t just suddenly vanish.

From Los Angeles Times

As more ballots, many of them mailed in or dropped off due to COVID-19 concerns, were counted, those leads began to vanish.

From Los Angeles Times

And the early stages of American deindustrialization were already underway: Jobs were starting to vanish.

From Slate

Related Words

• die
• die out
• dissolve
• evaporate
• fade
• melt