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 of vanish

• disappear
• fade

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

Californios’ reign began to vanish even before the discovery of gold, when droughts and floods wiped out their easygoing livelihoods, and their lands were cut up, sold off, and their land grants swept aside by the new state. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

After vanishing three years ago with his sister Felicia (Abigail Donaghy), Michael Frost (Landon Valentin) has been found. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026

The two share an instant connection and set out to explore Biltmore, but Michael inexplicably vanishes. — Rachel Labonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026

Despite that, an analysis by Lamont’s budget office last November showed surpluses would vanish, the reserve would be gone, and the General Fund would be 3% in debt within two years of a severe recession. — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2026

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