disappear Hear it!

disappear Definition

dis·ap·pear (dis′ə pir′)

intransitive verb

  1. to cease to be seen; go out of sight
  2. to cease being; go out of existence, use, etc.; become lost or extinct

Etymology: ME disaperen: see dis- & appear

transitive verb

to cause to disappear; specif., to kidnap and execute (persons) in a clandestine program of political terror

disappear Related Forms
dis′·ap·pear′·ance noun
disappear Synonyms

disappear

v.

vanish, fade, come to naught, cease, die, drop out of sight, become imperceptible, withdraw, dissolve, evaporate, pass out of sight, recede from view, cease to be seen, undergo eclipse, pass, go, leave no trace, be swallowed up, fade away, pass away, pass out, retire, retire from sight, retreat, vanish from sight, be lost to view, sink, exit, go off the stage, pass on, leave, vacate, abscond, depart, decamp, perish, die out, become extinct, be eradicated, be consumed, fade out, die away, go away, escape, be gone, dissipate, evanesce, be no more, cease to exist, come to an end, end gradually, wane, ebb, disperse, fall away, melt away, vanish into thin air, dematerialize, vamoose*, do a disappearing act*, take French leave*, pass out of the picture*, go poof*; see also die 2, escape, evaporate 1.

Antonyms appear*, emerge*, materialize.

disappear implies either a sudden or gradual passing from sight or existence customs that have long since disappeared; vanish implies a sudden, complete, often mysterious passing from sight or existence the stain had vanished overnight; fade suggests a gradual, complete or partial disappearance, as by losing color or brilliance the design on this fabric won't fade, his reputation has faded

disappear Usage Examples

Preposition: over

  • horizon: NEWHOUSE: I turned, swinging the camera just in time to see the rest of the group disappear over the western horizon.

Preposition: into

  • obscurity: Deller never won another world championship, but nor did he disappear back into total obscurity.
  • ether: However, all weblinks appear to have disappeared into the ether.
  • oblivion: No sooner had friend Matthews disappeared into apparent oblivion ( tho I suspect only temporarily ) than another problem arose.
  • mist: They disappear into the mist at the base of the mountains.
  • undergrowth: The animal climbed a rock face on the other side of the road and disappeared into the undergrowth.
  • thicket: Our guest saw Kuma walk right past the viewing deck and back again, sip some water and disappear into the thicket to relax.

Adjective complement

  • overnight: A year later, a by-pass was built and most of Bob's customers disappeared overnight.

Modifying Another Word

  • mysteriously: Spend time at the park's museum, depicting the story of these people who mysteriously disappeared almost 700 years ago.
  • altogether: In a couple of variations the ground disappears altogether.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • along: The tail gunner had disappeared along with his gun bubble when they had hit the forest canopy.

Used with why or when

  • when: But why didn't the memories disappear when my life became so painful and tearful?

Preposition: without

  • trace: Over the centuries in Carlton many buildings have simply disappeared without trace.

Preposition: in

  • mist: Outside Kings a crane so Huge its top disappears in the mist.
  • cloud: I saw the plane and pilot disappear in a cloud of flame and smoke.
  • flash: It's not just job security which can disappear in a drunken flash.
  • darkness: Luckily for me they had disappeared in the darkness, and the soldiers did not shoot.

Preposition: from

  • sight: In a few seconds the objects had disappeared from sight.
  • scene: For nearly a year he disappeared from the political scene.

Preposition: for

  • while: They took some x rays and the vets disappeared for a while.
disappear Quotes

I felt quite funny when Freud died. It was like having a continent disappear.

—Jarrell, Randall

Je ne veux pas tomber, non, je veux dispara|"tre. I do not want to fall; I want to disappear.

—Hugo,Victor Marie