disappear

[ dis-uh-peer ]

/ ˌdɪs əˈpɪər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR disappear ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to cease to be seen; vanish from sight.

to cease to exist or be known; pass away; end gradually: One by one the symptoms disappeared.

(of a person) to vanish under suspicious circumstances: The dictator's outspoken opponent disappeared that evening, shortly after midnight.

verb (used with object)

to cause to disappear: The magician then disappeared the card.

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

noun (used with a plural verb)

the disappeared, political opponents who are caused to disappear, as by kidnapping: the disappeared of Argentina.

Nearby words

disagreeable, disagreement, disallow, disambiguate, disannul, disappear, disappearance, disapplication, disappoint, disappointed, disappointing

Origin of disappear

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

Related forms

non·dis·ap·pear·ing, adjectiveun·dis·ap·pear·ing, adjective

Synonym study

1. 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for disappeared

But even though he has been disappeared, Castro is not forgotten.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There should be a retrievable record of exactly when the Airbus disappeared from radar.
Did Bad Weather Bring Down AirAsia 8501?|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Today, there are only about 30,000 remaining, as they have disappeared from twenty-six countries.
Heed the Warnings: Why We’re on the Brink of Mass Extinction|Sean B. Carroll|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Only two months later, her youngest brother, Mohammed Muktar, disappeared.
Drawing on the Memories of Syrian Women|Masha Hamilton|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The giant bear flicked his ears and, with unmistakable restraint, swung away and disappeared into the trees.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He disappeared into one of the sheds at the end of the railroad.
Frank Merriwell's Cruise|Burt L. Standish
The other regiments had not advanced and this one had disappeared.
The Yeoman Adventurer|George W. Gough
Johnny sprang through the door and disappeared into the dark interior of the house.
The Arrow of Fire|Roy J. Snell
After this it disappeared, having remained somewhat less than a quarter of an hour.
Buffon's Natural History, Volume II (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
Birds seemed to be as numerous as ever, but the lizards had disappeared.
Tropic Days|E. J. Banfield

British Dictionary definitions for disappeared

disappear

/ (ˌdɪsəˈpɪə) /

verb

(intr) to cease to be visible; vanish

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

(intr) to cease to exist, have effect, or be known; become extinct or lostthe pain has disappeared

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

Derived Forms

disappearance, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012