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:
But we have uncovered evidence that, in fact, his disappearance was anything but chance.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
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
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
And after his disappearance yesterday, I was pretty sure he couldn’t do this conversation.
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
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
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
Years on, the doctor-turned-activist became one of the most recognisable faces of a movement demanding answers about enforced disappearances in the province.
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
Their disappearances were phenomenons that happened every time Hyacinth gave Franz a bath.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
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.
