vanish

verb

van·​ish ˈva-nish 

vanished; vanishing; vanishes

intransitive verb

1

a

: to pass quickly from sight : disappear

b

: to pass completely from existence

2

: to assume the value zero

transitive verb

: to cause to disappear

vanisher noun

Synonyms

• dematerialize
• disappear
• dissolve
• evanesce
• evaporate
• fade
• flee
• fly
• melt
• sink

Examples of vanish in a Sentence

The missing girl vanished without a trace a year ago.

The papers seem to have vanished into thin air.

Dinosaurs vanished from the face of the earth millions of years ago.

Recent Examples on the Web

Tice, a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, McClatchy newspapers, and other outlets, vanished at a checkpoint in a contested region west of Damascus in 2012, as the Syrian civil war escalated. —Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024

The summer camp atmosphere of careless afternoons and camaraderie slowly vanishes as Gustavo witnesses those around him deteriorate. —Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 20 Dec. 2024

He was never seen again; both the plane and its three passengers vanished. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 2024

Yet, this seemingly magical place has vanished off the map. —Douglas C. Towne, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English vanisshen, borrowed from Anglo-French vaniss- stem of vanir, envanir, esvanir, going back to Vulgar Latin *exvānīre, restructuring of Latin ēvānēscere "to fade away, disappear," from ē- e- entry 1 + vānēscere "to pass from existence," inchoative verb derivative of vānus "empty, lacking content" — more at wane entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing vanish

• disappear/vanish into thin air

Kids Definition

vanish

verb

van·​ish ˈvan-ish 

: to pass from sight or existence

vanisher noun