into the woodwork
idiom
—used in phrases such as fade into the woodwork to describe someone or something that is not noticed or that seems to disappear
He's so shy that he always seems to fade into the woodwork at parties.
Examples of into the woodwork in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The future of the Internet is to literally disappear into the woodwork.
—
Neil Gershenfeld, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2014
But neither these ghouls nor a lion escaped from Cinecittà poses much in the way of peril to a woman who’ll fade back into the woodwork tomorrow.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 1 Sep. 2023
Scott, another candidate seen as a rising potential Trump alternative, seemed to fade into the woodwork for most of the debate, while the lowest-polling candidates, Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, did little to justify their presence onstage.
—Molly Ball, Time, 24 Aug. 2023
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Neil Gershenfeld, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2014
But neither these ghouls nor a lion escaped from Cinecittà poses much in the way of peril to a woman who’ll fade back into the woodwork tomorrow.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 1 Sep. 2023
Scott, another candidate seen as a rising potential Trump alternative, seemed to fade into the woodwork for most of the debate, while the lowest-polling candidates, Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, did little to justify their presence onstage.
—Molly Ball, Time, 24 Aug. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Into the woodwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/into%20the%20woodwork. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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