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.
From a consideration of apoptosis—the orderly elimination of damaged or unnecessary cells—Solé moves on to failing machines, eroded memories, vanished languages, brittle digital archives, and more. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 For Holocaust survivors and their descendants, as well as for the Jewish immigrants and their children, Yiddish became a source of nostalgia – the link to a world that vanished painfully in a short period of time. — Ilan Stavans, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026 When warnings of flash floods rushed in, principal Rajendra Dawadi rang the bell and led more than 900 students to higher ground moments before their Nepal school vanished. — Shonal Ganguly, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 While coal and oil nearly vanished, by last year a decades-long shift to natural gas had accelerated to the point where gas output surpassed what had been the output of all fossil fuels combined in 2000. — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 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 1 Sep. 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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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