dis·ap·pear
ˌdis-ə-ˈpir 
disappeared; disappearing; disappears
1
: to pass from view
The moon disappeared behind a cloud.
2
: to cease to be : pass out of existence or notice
dinosaurs disappeared from the earth
My keys seem to have disappeared again.
: to cause (someone or something) to disappear:
a
: to abduct and kill or imprison (someone, such as a political dissident) while withholding information about the person's fate
Her son was disappeared during Argentina's so-called 'Dirty War.'—
Associated Press
Associated PressUnder his repressive regime, tens of thousands of Chileans were "disappeared," tortured and killed; hundreds of thousands were forced into exile.—Mandalit del Barco
Mandalit del BarcoFearing that he would be kidnapped or "disappeared" in Syria under some false pretext, Mr. Omar made a video, which he posted on YouTube, to establish that he had defected.—Dan Bilefsky
Dan BilefskyWhen early efforts of containment failed, journalists and doctors who spoke out against the threat were disappeared, these sources said.—Bret Baier and Nick Givas
Bret Baier and Nick GivasOrwell's novel was published in 1949 in the wake of World War II, when both fascism and socialism seemed to loom as threats to democracy, and it imagines a secretive regime that surveils its people and polices even their thoughts, disappearing anyone who rebels against the order.—Jeva Lange
Jeva Lange
b
: to cause (something) to pass out of existence, possession, or view
VICE has disappeared the post from its Web site.—Jenna Sauers
Jenna SauersThe … waitress disappears the debris from the floor …—Catherine Cleary
Catherine ClearyAfter class, while waiting for Halmoni to pick me up, I devoured as many of those rainbow morsels as I could, as if disappearing them might also disappear my shame.—Jennifer Hope Choi
Jennifer Hope ChoiHe shares his opinion that based on his early findings, the bullets didn't come from Locke's gun, which is important because, as Lucca Quinn points out, Peter would have no reason to disappear the evidence if it exonerated Locke.—Alexis Rhiannon
Alexis Rhiannon
dis·ap·pear·ance
1
: the act or an instance of disappearing : removal from sight : vanishing
the disappearance of his name from the list of players
the disappearance of stately old mansions
made a sudden disappearance from the party
2
: the depletion or diminution of world or national stocks or supplies (as of cotton, wheat)
with the present rate of disappearance the national marketing quota for the new crop of cotton would be 10 million bales
also
: the amount of such depletion
the total annual disappearance of wheat averaged 721 million bushels
Examples of disappear in a Sentence
Verb
The two men disappeared around the corner.
The dinosaurs disappeared millions of years ago.
These problems won't just disappear by themselves.
He disappeared without a trace two years ago.
The speaker suddenly disappeared just before the beginning of the ceremony.
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
An important stop on the Silk Road between China and the West, which flourished between the 1st century BCE and the 14th to 15th centuries CE, Turu-Aygyr was destroyed by an earthquake at the beginning of the 15th century and subsequently disappeared under the lake’s surface.
—Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 8 June 2026
And yet Chicago’s appetite for steakhouses has not disappeared.
—David Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
The companies whose information is locked behind layouts and scripts that AI systems can't navigate may quietly disappear from the new discovery channel.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for disappear
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Olympia disappears, sometimes for years at a time.
—Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
An important stop on the Silk Road between China and the West, which flourished between the 1st century BCE and the 14th to 15th centuries CE, Turu-Aygyr was destroyed by an earthquake at the beginning of the 15th century and subsequently disappeared under the lake’s surface.
—Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 8 June 2026
And yet Chicago’s appetite for steakhouses has not disappeared.
—David Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
The companies whose information is locked behind layouts and scripts that AI systems can't navigate may quietly disappear from the new discovery channel.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for disappear
Cite this Entry
“Disappear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disappear. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
disappear
verb
dis·ap·pear
ˌdis-ə-ˈpi(ə)r
1
: to cease to be visible : pass out of sight : vanish
the moon disappeared behind a cloud
2
: to cease to be
the dinosaur disappeared ages ago
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
