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

Since then the old Fowltown Swamp where Old Ripper used to roam and where wild pigs lived and bred for hundreds of years has vanished. — Jack Wingate As Told To John Phillips, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2026

By the late twentieth century, nature photography and film had become not only a way of seeing, but also a way of caring—shaping public consciousness about endangered species, vanishing habitats, and the fragility of ecosystems. — Andrew Zuckerman, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2026

But walk across the drive, past a massive ceiba tree hung heavy with lanterns, and all humility vanishes. — Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 7 Nov. 2026

The boost off the bench has vanished to the point that Ryan Conwell and Pelle Larsson have both bypassed him in the rotation. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 6 Nov. 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