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

But that optimism has largely vanished and little else has emerged as a backstop in Washington beyond hope that states’ attorneys general and legislatures can stand in the breach. —Philip Elliott, Time, 2 Apr. 2025

Once thought to have vanished from the face of the Earth, scientists have rediscovered the elusive amphibian Alsodes vittatus after a gap of 130 years. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

The early bird gets the worm, so don’t wait because these deals tend to vanish fast. —Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025

Read Next National Woman vanished after car was stuck on dirt road, cops say. —Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 25 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for vanish

• banish
• clannish
• mannish
• spanish

Kids Definition

vanish

verb

van·​ish ˈvan-ish 

: to pass from sight or existence

vanisher noun