vanish
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to disappear from sight, especially quickly; become invisible.
The frost vanished when the sun came out.
- Synonyms:
- evanesce
- Antonyms:
- appear
-
to go away, especially furtively or mysteriously; disappear by quick departure.
The thief vanished in the night.
-
to disappear by ceasing to exist; come to an end.
The pain vanished after he took an aspirin.
-
Mathematics. (of a number, quantity, or function) to become zero.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
-
to disappear, esp suddenly or mysteriously
-
to cease to exist; fade away
-
maths to become zero
noun
Synonym Usage
See disappear.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
vanishsimple
-
vanishessimple
-
have vanishedperfect
-
has vanishedperfect
-
am vanishingprogressive
-
are vanishingprogressive
-
is vanishingprogressive
-
have been vanishingperfect progressive
-
has been vanishingperfect progressive
Past
-
vanishedsimple
-
had vanishedperfect
-
was vanishingprogressive
-
were vanishingprogressive
-
had been vanishingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
A car driving into the distance, a member of a near-extinct species, or that last piece of pecan pie in the refrigerator — any of these things is likely to vanish soon, meaning "to disappear." The word vanish entered English by way of French, but it can be traced back to the Latin word evanescere, meaning to “die away” or “to dissipate.” The word covers all kinds of disappearing acts, from the disappearance of an object or a person. You might, for example, vanish from school when the last bell rings on Friday. Things we can't see can also vanish, like the stress that vanishes when your big project is complete.
Vocabulary lists containing vanish
"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Nobody's Home: Synonyms For "Absent"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
For those within the viewing path, Venus will seem to vanish behind the Moon before emerging again later.
From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 2026
World number one Aryna Sabalenka saw her French Open title hopes vanish as she completely unravelled in a crushing quarter-final defeat by Diana Shnaider in yet another shock result at this year's tournament.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
That cranked up the stress for fans, who didn’t know if the tickets they saw online would soon vanish, or if the future price would rise or drop.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
Like so many other relics of the Soviet past in Central Asia, it is doomed to vanish amid a distancing from Russia and a top-down drive to boost national culture.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
I’d vanish right here, never to be seen again.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
