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

While price remains the top deterrent at 67 percent, the gap between affordability and availability has nearly vanished. —Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 23 Apr. 2026

Suarez struck out Cody Bellinger for the second out, but any hopes of keeping a lid on things vanished when Giancarlo Stanton doubled to left, putting two men in scoring position. —Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026

His killing spree went unknown for decades, until a 23-year-old woman named Shannan Gilbert vanished under alarming circumstances in 2010. —Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026

When members who are accused of serious ethical violations are allowed to retain the trappings of office, continue raising unlimited campaign funds, take votes on controversial issues, and act as if nothing’s changed, public trust vanishes. —Mary Ellen Klas, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 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