disappear

[dis-uh-peer]

verb (used without object)

1. to cease to be seen; vanish from sight.

2. to cease to exist or be known; pass away; end gradually.

   One by one the symptoms disappeared.

3. (of a person) to vanish under suspicious circumstances.

   The dictator's outspoken opponent disappeared that evening, shortly after midnight.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to disappear.

   The magician then disappeared the card.

2. to kidnap or arrest and then imprison or kill (a political opponent) without due process of law.

disappear

/ ˌdɪsəˈpɪə /

verb

1. (intr) to cease to be visible; vanish

2. (intr) to go away or become lost, esp secretly or without explanation

3. (intr) to cease to exist, have effect, or be known; become extinct or lost

   the pain has disappeared

4. (tr) (esp in South and Central America) to arrest secretly and presumably imprison or kill (a member of an opposing political group)

Other Word Forms

• nondisappearing adjective
• undisappearing adjective
• disappearance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disappear¹

First recorded in 1520–30; dis- ¹ + appear

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

The risks do not disappear immediately but drop gradually as exposure decreases.

Read more on Science Daily

Snapchat, an app whose disappearing messages and silly face filters made chatting with loved ones more casual, is close to a milestone that few social media platforms achieve: reaching 1 billion monthly users.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The opposite flank has disappeared under concrete because real estate speculation is driving many landowners to convert agricultural land into building plots.

Read more on Barron's

It doesn’t necessarily mean most jobs will disappear but suggests a majority of work activities could be automated.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

There’s a story in Cleo long before she disappeared, you know?

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• abandon 
• depart 
• die 
• die out 
• dissipate 
• dissolve 
• escape 
• evaporate 
• expire 
• fade 
• flee 
• fly 
• go 
• leave 
• melt 
• perish 
• recede 
• retire 
• retreat 
• sink