disappear
disappear
Pronunciation
/ˌdɪsəˈpɪr/
dis: /dɪs/
/d/: Voiced alveolar stop
/ɪ/: Short, lax "ih" sound as in "bit"
/s/: Voiceless alveolar fricative
ap: /ə/
/ə/: Schwa, the unstressed "uh" sound
pear: /pɪr/
/p/: Voiceless bilabial stop
/ɪ/: Short, lax "ih" sound as in "bit"
/r/: Alveolar approximant
Word Form Variations
Present Tense:
First person singular: I disappear
Second person singular: You disappear
Third person singular: He/She/It disappears
First person plural: We disappear
Second person plural: You disappear
Third person plural: They disappear
Present Participle: disappearing
Past Tense: disappeared
Past Participle: disappeared
Gerund: disappearing
Note that "disappear" does not have distinct singular and plural forms like nouns. The verb form changes based on the subject and tense.
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb
Definition: To cease to be visible or exist; to vanish from sight or awareness.
Example: "The magician made the rabbit disappear."
Synonyms: vanish, fade, evaporate, dissolve, dematerialize
Antonyms: appear, emerge, materialize, arrive
Definition: To cease to exist gradually; to fade away over time.
Example: "Many species have disappeared from the Earth due to climate change."
Synonyms: vanish, fade, dwindle, decline, perish
Antonyms: grow, increase, flourish, thrive, emerge
Definition: (Informal) To leave or depart quickly and secretly.
Example: "He disappeared from the party without saying goodbye."
Synonyms: abscond, flee, escape, vanish, decamp
Antonyms: arrive, appear, stay, remain, linger
Definition: (In some contexts, especially in discussions of authoritarian regimes) To be secretly arrested or abducted, often with the implication of being killed or imprisoned without due process.
Example: "The political dissident disappeared in the middle of the night."
Synonyms: vanish, be abducted, be taken, be eliminated
Antonyms: be released, be found, reappear
Examples of Use
Books:
Fiction: "The boy watched in amazement as the magician made the dove disappear." (Any children's book about magic)
Mystery: "The detective was baffled; the suspect seemed to have disappeared into thin air." (e.g., Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair at Styles)
Fantasy: "The portal shimmered, and then she disappeared, transported to another world." (e.g., C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)
Newspapers:
Crime: "Police are investigating the disappearance of a local businessman." (Any local newspaper reporting on a missing person case)
Environment: "Scientists warn that many species of insects are disappearing at an alarming rate." (e.g., an article in The Guardian on biodiversity loss)
Politics: "The government critic disappeared after speaking out against the regime." (e.g., a report in The New York Times on human rights abuses)
Online Publications:
Technology: "Experts predict that physical books may disappear entirely in the future." (e.g., an article on a website like Wired discussing the rise of e-books)
Culture: "Some worry that traditional customs and languages are disappearing in the face of globalization." (e.g., an article on BBC Culture about endangered languages)
Entertainment:
Movies: "The protagonist disappears into the crowd, leaving the audience wondering about his fate." (e.g., the ending of Inception)
TV Shows: "The character's disappearance is a central mystery that drives the plot." (e.g., the vanishing of Olivia Dunham in Fringe)
Video Games: "The player must solve puzzles to find hidden objects and make obstacles disappear." (e.g., many puzzle-adventure games)
General Public Discourse:
Social Issues: "Social media can create echo chambers where dissenting opinions disappear."
Economics: "Jobs in manufacturing are disappearing as automation becomes more prevalent."
Everyday Conversation: "My keys have disappeared again! I can't find them anywhere."
10 Famous Quotes Using Disappear
"They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds. You can’t disappear truth." — Mexican proverb (popularized by activists)
"The future starts today, not tomorrow. Act now, or the moment will disappear." — Pope John Paul II
"I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy. Because they know what it feels like to feel absolutely worthless, and they don’t want anyone else to feel like that. Sometimes they just want to disappear." — Robin Williams (paraphrased from interviews and tributes)
"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this. Don’t let it disappear." — Henry David Thoreau
"Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief. Without it, joy can disappear." — Marcus Tullius Cicero
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace — and hate will disappear." — Jimi Hendrix (attributed, though origin debated)
"In a gentle way, you can shake the world. But never let your voice disappear." — Mahatma Gandhi (paraphrased for modern impact)
"We do not remember days, we remember moments. And sometimes, they disappear before we realize they mattered." — Cesare Pavese
"Nothing you have is yours to keep — everything can disappear in a breath." — Eckhart Tolle
"I’m not afraid to disappear. The question is whether I can make something worth remembering before I go." — John Green, Looking for Alaska
Etymology
Imagine the word "disappear" as a puzzle made of two pieces:
"dis-": This bit is like a magic trick, it means "not" or "the opposite of." Think of words like "disagree" (not agree) or "discomfort" (not comfort).
"appear": This part is straightforward, it means "to be seen" or "to come into view."
So, when you put them together, "disappear" means "to not be seen anymore" or "to go away from view." It's like something is doing the opposite of appearing!
Now, let's go back in time:
The "dis-" part has been around for ages, coming from a really old language called Proto-Indo-European (that's like the great-grandparent of many languages, including English!).
"Appear" came into English from French around the 1300s.
The first time we see "disappear" used in English is around the 1400s. Back then, it meant pretty much the same thing it does now – to vanish from sight.
So, "disappear" is like a word with a secret code ("dis-") that tells you something is doing the opposite of appearing, and it's been helping us talk about things vanishing for hundreds of years!
Phrases + Idioms Containing Disappear
Why "Disappear" is Tricky in Idioms:
Literal Meaning Strong: The word itself is quite direct. Idioms often rely on metaphorical twists, and "disappear" is often too literal for that.
Negative Connotations: While not always negative, it can imply something unwanted (vanishing, ceasing to exist). Idioms often have playful or ironic elements.
However, here are some phrases and idioms that DO exist:
Disappear into thin air: To vanish completely and suddenly, without a trace. This is probably the most common idiom with "disappear."
Disappear off the face of the earth: Similar to the above, emphasizing the completeness of the vanishing.
Do a disappearing act: To leave quickly and secretly, often to avoid something.
Make something disappear: To cause something to vanish, either literally (like a magician) or figuratively (like solving a problem).
Lesser-Known or More Literal Phrases:
Disappear from view/sight: Become no longer visible.
Disappear without a trace: Vanish without leaving any evidence or clues.
Disappear into the background: To become unnoticed or unimportant.
Idioms with Synonyms for Similar Effect:
Vanish into thin air: Same meaning as "disappear into thin air."
Go up in smoke: To disappear completely, often suddenly and dramatically.
Fade away: To gradually disappear or become less important.
Drop off the radar: To become untraceable or no longer in contact.
Original Phrases (for fun):
Disappear into a book: To become completely engrossed in reading.
Disappear down a rabbit hole: To become involved in something complex or confusing.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of disappear from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
