disappear
Americanverb (used without object)
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disappears,
present (3rd person singular)
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disappeared,
past participle, past
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disappearing
present participle
-
to cease to be seen; vanish from sight.
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to cease to exist or be known; pass away; end gradually.
One by one the symptoms disappeared.
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(of a person) to vanish under suspicious circumstances.
The dictator's outspoken opponent disappeared that evening, shortly after midnight.
verb (used with object)
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disappears,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disappeared,
past participle, past
-
disappearing
present participle
-
to cause to disappear.
The magician then disappeared the card.
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to kidnap or arrest and then imprison or kill (a political opponent) without due process of law.
verb
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(intr) to cease to be visible; vanish
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(intr) to go away or become lost, esp secretly or without explanation
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(intr) to cease to exist, have effect, or be known; become extinct or lost
the pain has disappeared
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(tr) (esp in South and Central America) to arrest secretly and presumably imprison or kill (a member of an opposing political group)
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disappearsimple
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disappearssimple
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have disappearedperfect
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has disappearedperfect
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am disappearingprogressive
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are disappearingprogressive
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is disappearingprogressive
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have been disappearingperfect progressive
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has been disappearingperfect progressive
Past
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disappearedsimple
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had disappearedperfect
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was disappearingprogressive
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were disappearingprogressive
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had been disappearingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disappear
Explanation
When something disappears, it's gone. To disappear is to vanish, evaporate, or just fade away. The word disappear is made up of dis, meaning "do the opposite of" and appear. So to disappear is to do the opposite of appear. Magicians are experts at making things disappear: one minute the rabbit is here, and the next, it's gone! When you lose something, like one of a pair of socks, you could say it disappeared. Snow disappears as it melts; boiling water disappears as it evaporates. Anything that goes away without leaving a trace has disappeared.
Vocabulary lists containing disappear
"Hitching a Ride"
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 3
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Let It Be
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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:
Responding to today's auction, Brusatte called it "harrowing" that "Jodi" could disappear from public view.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Some expenses may disappear in retirement, such as a mortgage payment once you pay off your house, or college tuition and other costs associated with raising children.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
A reef ecosystem collapses when hard corals -- which build its living foundation -- largely disappear and are replaced by algae, rubble and sponges.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Surrounded by the windswept desert and towering mountains, locals are keenly aware of how improbable it was that a bustling town and verdant fields arose in this unforgiving terrain—and how swiftly it all might disappear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Worse, even, because he couldn’t just disappear into the night quietly.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Though the mechanics are still poorly understood, these mountains appear to become unstable when the ice disappears.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
"Hopefully it rains soon, the fires go out, and the smoke disappears so that activities can return to normal and it’s easier to earn a living again," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Returning to the theme at that year's end-of-season ATP Finals, Medvedev said any bad blood soon disappears after leaving the court.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Here’s something to shoot for: Your mortgage will be gone in about five years, and once that $1,150 payment disappears, your expenses fall to roughly $2,250, which your Social Security check alone would cover.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
I peer in as he disappears around the corner where the Hideout entrance is.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
Many data sets once used by researchers and investors have disappeared.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
While timbers from the ship disappeared long ago, the remains of its precious cargo were embedded in the rocky slope along the Kekova coast.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
United's fans delivered their own verdict on the performance as Carrick disappeared down the tunnel to the dressing room.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
Turturro wrecked us playing the grieving Irv on Apple TV’s trippy drama “Severance,” and when Irv disappeared in Season 2, fans worried we might have seen the last of him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Unslinging her pack, she squeezed in, then disappeared.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Hart said the number of salons disappearing from high streets was a concern.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Korbak said using disappearing messages on Signal is considered a “basic security best practice” throughout Silicon Valley.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
However, this additional water comes from a resource that is steadily disappearing.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
Just past downtown, the tracks are overgrown, nearly disappearing from sight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
“I’ll help you next, Lucy,” said Mrs. Wong, disappearing into the back of the store.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
