vanish
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to disappear from sight, especially quickly; become invisible.
The frost vanished when the sun came out.
- Synonyms:
- evanesce
- Antonyms:
- appear
-
to go away, especially furtively or mysteriously; disappear by quick departure.
The thief vanished in the night.
-
to disappear by ceasing to exist; come to an end.
The pain vanished after he took an aspirin.
-
Mathematics. (of a number, quantity, or function) to become zero.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
-
to disappear, esp suddenly or mysteriously
-
to cease to exist; fade away
-
maths to become zero
noun
Synonym Usage
See disappear.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
vanishsimple
-
vanishessimple
-
have vanishedperfect
-
has vanishedperfect
-
am vanishingprogressive
-
are vanishingprogressive
-
is vanishingprogressive
-
have been vanishingperfect progressive
-
has been vanishingperfect progressive
Past
-
vanishedsimple
-
had vanishedperfect
-
was vanishingprogressive
-
were vanishingprogressive
-
had been vanishingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
A car driving into the distance, a member of a near-extinct species, or that last piece of pecan pie in the refrigerator — any of these things is likely to vanish soon, meaning "to disappear." The word vanish entered English by way of French, but it can be traced back to the Latin word evanescere, meaning to “die away” or “to dissipate.” The word covers all kinds of disappearing acts, from the disappearance of an object or a person. You might, for example, vanish from school when the last bell rings on Friday. Things we can't see can also vanish, like the stress that vanishes when your big project is complete.
Vocabulary lists containing vanish
"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
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"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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Nobody's Home: Synonyms For "Absent"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nimble had a flawless run in 28.76 seconds, over a second ahead of her closest competitor, a border collie called Vanish.
From Seattle Times • May 14, 2024
Now the actual man must make a decision: Vanish with it, or discover who he really is.
From Washington Post • Oct. 22, 2022
From here, you can also go into Vanish mode, which will cause the conversation to vanish when you close the chat.
From The Verge • Aug. 16, 2022
To discuss these little-understood areas of technology, I recently spoke with investigative journalist and bestselling author Annie Jacobsen, whose books include "Area 51," "The Pentagon's Brain," "Operation Paperclip," and "Surprise, Kill, Vanish."
From Salon • Sep. 28, 2021
Vanish hate, And ye friends of sadness; To his chill abode of woe, Let the dread Philistine go, Who would steal our gladness.
From A Handbook for Latin Clubs by Paxson, Susan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
