disappearance
Americannoun
-
disappearances
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of disappearance
Explanation
A disappearance occurs when something vanishes from sight. The disappearance of the stars behind the clouds makes it a bad night for watching a meteor shower. While this word is often used when something's not visible, you can also use it for something that dies out or ceases to exist, like the disappearance of a particular animal species that's gone extinct or even disappearance of cursive writing in schools. In news stories, the word frequently refers to a crime involving a missing person: "The disappearance of his neighbor was very mysterious."
Vocabulary lists containing disappearance
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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:
They were aged 39 and 41 at the time of their disappearance.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
For a half-century, Congress has been offering middle- and working-class Americans options for tax-advantaged individual retirement savings, largely to compensate for the disappearance of traditional pensions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Yet across the continent, their disappearance is becoming impossible to ignore, as conservationists warn that hunting linked to traditional beliefs and spiritual practices continues to threaten several vulture species to the point of near extinction.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The repeated appearance and disappearance of sperm conjugation is one of the study's most notable findings.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Looking like he belonged in our house, he sat right next to Mamá on the couch, their hands almost touching as they answered questions about our disappearance and return.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
It has called for anyone being held beyond the legal period to be taken to court or released, and any alleged unlawful detentions or disappearances to be independently investigated.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Mahrang warned that enforced disappearances fuelled more resistance, rather than silencing it.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum has focused on distinguishing between disappearances committed by organized crime and those forced by state agents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Andrew Glazer, director of the documentary on the 2018 disappearances, told AFP that Ramos is accused of paying actors to fabricate allegations against the military.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
Harry wondered whether constant disappearances and reappearances had somehow diminished his substance, or whether this frail build was ideal for anyone wishing to vanish.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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.
