vanish

[ van-ish ]
See synonyms for: vanishvanishedvanishingvanishment on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to disappear from sight, especially quickly; become invisible: The frost vanished when the sun came out.

  2. to go away, especially furtively or mysteriously; disappear by quick departure: The thief vanished in the night.

  1. to disappear by ceasing to exist; come to an end: The pain vanished after he took an aspirin.

  2. 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.

Origin of vanish

1
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

synonym study For vanish

1. See disappear.

Other words for vanish

Opposites for vanish

Other words from vanish

  • van·ish·er, noun
  • van·ish·ing·ly, adverb
  • van·ish·ment, noun
  • non·van·ish·ing, adjective
  • outvanish, verb (used with object)
  • un·van·ish·ing, adjective

Words Nearby vanish

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

How to use vanish in a sentence

  • And then he hung up, left the station to vanish into the murk of the rain swept night.

  • But indeed, it was useless to rub her eyes, the dwarfs did not vanish, and so she was obliged to believe that they were real.

    Honey-Bee | Anatole France
  • He remained on his feet just long enough to see his Time Observatory dim and vanish.

    The Man from Time | Frank Belknap Long
  • I would have cried like a child who sees the castle he has been dreaming about vanish away as he awakens from sleep.

    Camille (La Dame aux Camilias) | Alexandre Dumas, fils
  • And by the same token the good Duchess has seen her hair grow white and her gaiety vanish.

    Honey-Bee | Anatole France

British Dictionary definitions for vanish

vanish

/ (ˈvænɪʃ) /


verb(intr)
  1. to disappear, esp suddenly or mysteriously

  2. to cease to exist; fade away

  1. maths to become zero

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

Origin of vanish

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

Derived forms of vanish

  • vanisher, noun
  • vanishingly, adverb

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with vanish

vanish

see under into thin air.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.