vanish

[van-ish]

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.

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

/ ˈvænɪʃ /

verb

1. to disappear, esp suddenly or mysteriously

2. to cease to exist; fade away

3. maths to become zero

noun

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of vanish¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of vanish¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see under into thin air.

Synonym Study

See disappear.

Example Sentences

One of those trade finance firms on Wednesday sought the appointment of an examiner in bankruptcy court to trace how billions of dollars of assets had “simply vanished.”

Read more on Wall Street Journal

At the same time, his natural talent hadn’t completely vanished.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

But 10 months on, the enthusiasm has all but vanished.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

By the time the officers arrived, the suspect alleged to be Prowell had vanished.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"It's a job that's actually really important, because if we get it wrong, if the world of football gets it wrong, the extraordinary progress that's been made necessary will vanish incredibly quickly," Kogan said.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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