vanish

verb

van·​ish ˈva-nish How to pronounce vanish (audio)
vanished; vanishing; vanishes
Synonyms of vanish

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

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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Philadelphia police identified Maribel Fresses, 26, who vanished in 2018, and Gabrielle Amarando, 27, earlier in the investigation. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Group chats pulled from Nolan Wells' cellphone show what his friends said before and after the Mississippi teen vanished in early July following a boat outing with friends. — Skyler Henry, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 When a dog bolts into a canyon or vanishes under heavy tree cover, most tracking collars lose the signal. — Joe Mullich, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 And as always, at the top level, the sport is dependent upon manufacturer largesse, something that usually vanishes in the face of worsening economic outlooks. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vanish

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of vanish was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing vanish

Rhymes for vanish

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Browse Nearby Words

Vanir
vanish
vanishing cream
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Cite this Entry

“Vanish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vanish. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

vanish

verb
van·​ish ˈvan-ish How to pronounce vanish (audio)
: to pass from sight or existence
vanisher noun
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