vanish

American  

[van-ish] / ˈvæn ɪʃ /

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.

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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 British  

/ ˈvænɪʃ /

verb

1. to disappear, esp suddenly or mysteriously

2. to cease to exist; fade away

3. maths to become zero

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noun

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

vanish Idioms  

1. see under into thin air.

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Related Words

See disappear.

Other Word Forms

• nonvanishing adjective
• outvanish verb (used with object)
• unvanishing adjective
• vanisher noun
• vanishingly adverb
• vanishment noun

Etymology

Origin of vanish

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

Example Sentences

Once again, I gave in, and once again, the warmth vanished almost immediately.

From Los Angeles Times

When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.

From BBC

"No child leaving care should face homelessness. At 18, they face a devastating care cliff where vital support vanishes and they're expected to become independent overnight."

From BBC

Some patients in the trial saw their symptoms vanish.

From The Wall Street Journal

Facebook and its photo-sharing app Instagram copied Snapchat’s signature features including Stories, which allowed people to post images and videos that vanish after 24 hours.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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