disappear
verb
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 RhiannonSynonyms
Examples of disappear in a Sentence
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
At high heat, however, the aroma disappears completely, leaving behind a flavor akin to fortune cookies.
—Austin Bush, Saveur, 18 Apr. 2024
After pulling everything together, the doula disappears into a corner but still helps and holds space as needed.
—Kia Turner, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
Western meadowlarks, prevalent in the central and western U.S.; three-fourths have disappeared.
—David Schechter, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
In the minutes after she was seen on that security footage in her apartment complex, Mercedes would disappear.
—Brittany Morris, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024
Pizza Emulators, another Nintendo emulator, disappeared around the same time.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
Down Cemetery Road kicks off with a house exploding in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappearing in the aftermath.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
But in the mid-20th Century, its numbers plummeted and the birds disappeared completely from some parts of the state, victims of habitat loss, chemicals, global warming, and invasive species like the European starling and the Eurasian house sparrow.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
In a video recorded by the journalist Justin Chapman, Hughes disappears into the sky, a dark pinpoint in a vast, uncaring blueness.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Austin Bush, Saveur, 18 Apr. 2024
After pulling everything together, the doula disappears into a corner but still helps and holds space as needed.
—Kia Turner, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
Western meadowlarks, prevalent in the central and western U.S.; three-fourths have disappeared.
—David Schechter, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
In the minutes after she was seen on that security footage in her apartment complex, Mercedes would disappear.
—Brittany Morris, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024
Pizza Emulators, another Nintendo emulator, disappeared around the same time.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
Down Cemetery Road kicks off with a house exploding in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappearing in the aftermath.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
But in the mid-20th Century, its numbers plummeted and the birds disappeared completely from some parts of the state, victims of habitat loss, chemicals, global warming, and invasive species like the European starling and the Eurasian house sparrow.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
In a video recorded by the journalist Justin Chapman, Hughes disappears into the sky, a dark pinpoint in a vast, uncaring blueness.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disappear.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near disappear
Cite this Entry
“Disappear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disappear. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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
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