into thin air

Idioms  

1. Also, into the blue. Completely disappeared, as in The report was here on my desk and now it's gone, vanished into thin air, or I don't know where they've gone—into the blue, for all I know. Both of these hyperbolic expressions, often preceded by vanish as in the first example, use the rarefied atmosphere far above the earth as a metaphor for an unknown location. Shakespeare wrote of ghosts that “melted . . . into thin air” (The Tempest, 4:1). An antonym for both is out of thin air, meaning “from an unknown place or source.” For example, She made up this excuse out of thin air, or The car appeared out of thin air. However, out of the blue is not precisely an antonym (see under out of a clear blue sky).

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Example Sentences

The family of a missing student who "vanished into thin air" two years ago say they "continue to keep hope alive" in a desperate hunt for answers.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

For the second straight night, a late-game three-run lead had evaporated into thin air.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2025

Despite numerous public appeals including an appearance by Mike on Crimewatch, it seemed that Tony Parsons had vanished into thin air.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2025

Her $990 Margiela Mary-Jane Tabis have vanished into thin air like a fairy godmother after she grants all wishes.

From Salon • Sep. 9, 2023

A sparrow flitted by so fast it looked like it vanished into thin air.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova