vanish

American  

[van-ish] / ˈvæn ɪʃ /

verb (used without object)

1. to disappear from sight, especially quickly; become invisible.

   The frost vanished when the sun came out.

   Synonyms:

   evanesce

   Antonyms:

   appear

2. to go away, especially furtively or mysteriously; disappear by quick departure.

   The thief vanished in the night.

3. to disappear by ceasing to exist; come to an end.

   The pain vanished after he took an aspirin.

4. Mathematics. (of a number, quantity, or function) to become zero.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to disappear.

noun

1. Phonetics. the last part of a vowel sound when it differs noticeably in quality from the main sound, as the faint (ē) at the end of the (ā) in the pronunciation of pain.

vanish British  

/ ˈvænɪʃ /

verb

1. to disappear, esp suddenly or mysteriously

2. to cease to exist; fade away

3. maths to become zero

---

noun

1. rare phonetics the second and weaker of the two vowels in a falling diphthong

vanish Idioms  

1. see under into thin air.

---

Related Words

See disappear.

Other Word Forms

• nonvanishing adjective
• outvanish verb (used with object)
• unvanishing adjective
• vanisher noun
• vanishingly adverb
• vanishment noun

Etymology

Origin of vanish

1275–1325; Middle English vanisshen, vanissen < Middle French evaniss-, long stem of e ( s ) vanir ≪ Latin ex- ex- ¹ + vānēscere to pass away, equivalent to vān ( us ) vain + -ēscere inchoative suffix

Example Sentences

It wasn’t just my home that had vanished, I realized.

From Los Angeles Times

We’re not shielded from the horrors, but they almost always happen offstage, implied or alluded to in the sudden vanishing of a loved one or a mournful reference to a death.

From The Wall Street Journal

Thorabella Farm, near Forres, said the animals - the world's largest rodents and native to South America - vanished from their heated enclosure on Tuesday.

From BBC

Other travelers reported getting to the stage of putting in their credit-card information when flights vanished.

From The Wall Street Journal

Quickly vanishing is the stigma of men buying and using their own skincare products.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• die
• die out
• dissolve
• evaporate
• fade
• melt