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

Many Venezuelans were combing through wreckage in search of loved ones, while others turned to social media in an effort to find relatives and friends who had vanished in the disaster. — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026

And then 9/11 happened, and at that point, whatever appetite the United States had had for people running around, burning down buildings as a tool for political change just vanished. — Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026

When Hanna vanishes without a trace and her mother enlists Inés’ help as a translator, the search for the missing teenager raises questions and exposes hidden truths that test the young girl’s loyalties and echo her country’s dark history. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2026

Nearly 25 years ago, Regina Hicks vanished from Willard, Ohio. — Dateline Nbc, NBC news, 24 June 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