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:
These insights seem to disappear in the crucial fight over reopening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The organisation expects many roles to change rather than disappear but the types of service jobs that people do in the Philippines leaves it particularly at risk.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Said Maung, "All of these effects come together to create this perfect environment for the tissue to be really unhealthy and eventually disappear."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
"Whoever does not move with the times will disappear in time," the 42-year-old managing director told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
“No, not like go invisible, like disappear from us.”
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Then, she disappears into the spectacle of the film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
If you marry, brace yourself in case her SSI disappears.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Then it becomes an elver and disappears into the depths.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
"The dense forest disappears and becomes more open woodland, with more lakes and more grasslands."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
Max disappears, the window shuts, and I get to my feet.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Pearl diving has all but disappeared, particularly after the mass production of cultured pearls on farms after World War I. In Gulf countries, the extinction of this profession converges with a familiar story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Billy played the final girl in the 1983 original film, then disappeared.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
More than one-third said their nightmares disappeared completely.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Several athletes have disappeared after competing in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, failing to return home with the rest of their teams.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
But when Sarah reached forward to help her baby daughter up, the circle was broken, and Leila disappeared.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Then I noticed things were disappearing behind me.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Americans growing up in the 21st century might be puzzled by his words, because the idea of widespread Sunday business closings has, with notable exceptions, been disappearing for decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
One possibility is to protect adipose tissue before it deteriorates, preventing fat cells from disappearing and reducing the metabolic damage caused by the disease.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Bass herself has also communicated through disappearing messages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
But when I look in the mirror now, I don’t see a disappearing girl anymore.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
