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:
Her disappearance drew public attention after fellow runners launched a social media campaign to find her, bringing renewed focus to earlier cases and, later, to the discovery of more bodies.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Where did Noah go on that nocturnal walk in the early hours of the day of his disappearance, and did he meet anyone?
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Savannah Guthrie continued her calls for kidnappers to return her mother Nancy Guthrie, as the investigation into the elder Guthrie’s disappearance surpasses its six-month mark.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
On Reddit, citizen sleuths have another theory for headphones’ disappearance: Apple’s decision in 2020 to stop including free headphones with new phones—as well as the move toward AirPods, which are pricier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Yet there is no evidence of any significant disappearance of oceanic fauna 45,000 years ago.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
The surfers' disappearances and deaths sparked widespread outrage and grief in Australia and the United States, prompting a major social media search for their bodies.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Activists put the number of disappearances much higher, at around 7,000 – but there is no reliable source of data and no way to verify either side's claims.
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
Her case was part of wild speculation about a series of deaths and disappearances in the US scientific community.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
During my lunch break, while waiting for Sarah to prepare the sandwiches for the newsmen, I wrote out a timeline of Yakov’s death and described how it fit into the overall chain of disappearances.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
