disappearance
Americannoun
-
disappearances
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of disappearance
Explanation
A disappearance occurs when something vanishes from sight. The disappearance of the stars behind the clouds makes it a bad night for watching a meteor shower. While this word is often used when something's not visible, you can also use it for something that dies out or ceases to exist, like the disappearance of a particular animal species that's gone extinct or even disappearance of cursive writing in schools. In news stories, the word frequently refers to a crime involving a missing person: "The disappearance of his neighbor was very mysterious."
Vocabulary lists containing disappearance
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Week 3: Investigations
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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.
See Examples For:
There’s his first line: “Fog took ’im,” Wyck says as the explanation for another fisherman’s mysterious disappearance in the pilot, delivered with utmost seriousness yet still landing like a punchline.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
For years, Morup's family back in Ladakh have struggled to come to terms with his disappearance.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The repeated appearance and disappearance of sperm conjugation is one of the study's most notable findings.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Last time I met with an old friend I noted the disappearance of his goatee and mustache.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Hooper had said nothing about the disappearance of the battle plan and his lists of regiments.
From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill
Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum has focused on distinguishing between disappearances committed by organized crime and those forced by state agents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
The theory suggested their deaths and disappearances were linked to their work.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
Casias' disappearance featured prominently in a growing online conspiracy theory earlier this year about the deaths and disappearances of at least 10 people with ties to US scientific research.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
Andrew Glazer, director of the documentary on the 2018 disappearances, told AFP that Ramos is accused of paying actors to fabricate allegations against the military.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
These men he was happy to hire, and he’d learned a fair bit of Spanish along the way, but he had to be prepared for their short-notice disappearances.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
