disappear
[ dis-uh-peer ]
/ ˌdɪs əˈpɪər /
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.
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Nearby words
Related formsnon·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
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 Formsdisappearance, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for disappeared
disappear
early 15c., disaperen, from dis- "do the opposite of" + appear. Earlier was disparish (early 15c.), from French disparaiss-, stem of disparaître. Related: Disappeared; disappearing; disappears. Slang disappearing act is originally of magic shows; in figurative sense of "getting away" first attested 1913.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper