disappear

[ dis-uh-peer ]
See synonyms for: disappeardisappeareddisappearing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to cease to be seen; vanish from sight.

  2. to cease to exist or be known; pass away; end gradually: One by one the symptoms disappeared.

  1. (of a person) to vanish under suspicious circumstances: The dictator's outspoken opponent disappeared that evening, shortly after midnight.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cause to disappear: The magician then disappeared the card.

  2. to kidnap or arrest and then imprison or kill (a political opponent) without due process of law.

Origin of disappear

1
First recorded in 1520–30; dis-1 + appear

synonym study For disappear

1. Disappear, fade, vanish suggest that something passes from sight. Disappear is used of whatever suddenly or gradually goes out of sight: We watched him turn down a side street and then disappear. Fade suggests a (complete or partial) disappearance that proceeds gradually and often by means of a blending into something else: Colors in the sky at sunrise quickly fade. Vanish suggests complete, generally rapid, and often mysterious disappearance: A mirage can vanish as suddenly as it appears.

Other words from disappear

  • non·dis·ap·pear·ing, adjective
  • un·dis·ap·pear·ing, adjective

Words Nearby disappear

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use disappear in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for disappear

disappear

/ (ˌdɪsəˈpɪə) /


verb
  1. (intr) to cease to be visible; vanish

  2. (intr) to go away or become lost, esp secretly or without explanation

  1. (intr) to cease to exist, have effect, or be known; become extinct or lost: the pain has disappeared

  2. (tr) (esp in South and Central America) to arrest secretly and presumably imprison or kill (a member of an opposing political group)

Derived forms of disappear

  • disappearance, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012