What does "disappear" mean?

1. (to stop existing) to stop being or to go away completely. 2. (to go missing) to be lost or to become a missing person. 3. (to be abducted for political reasons) to be taken away by the police or government and never seen again.

How do you use "disappear"?

In this sense, the verb is often used transitively ('the regime disappeared him') or as a passive participle ('the disappeared').

disappear

US //ˌdɪsəˈpiɹ// UK //dˌɪsɐpˈiə// dis·ap·pear

1 to stop existing (v.)
B1 Intermediate

to stop being or to go away completely.

to cease to exist or obtain; to pass away completely.

Example

Many traditional customs are starting to disappear in the modern world.

Example

The symptoms usually disappear within a few days of starting the antibiotic treatment, though patients must complete the full course.
- persist
- remain
2 to go missing (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

to be lost or to become a missing person.

to go missing or become lost, often under mysterious or unexplained circumstances.

Example

My keys have disappeared again, and I cannot find them anywhere.

Example

The hiker disappeared in the dense forest, prompting a massive search and rescue operation that lasted for nearly a week.
- go missing
- vanish

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3 to be abducted for political reasons (v.)
C1 Advanced Formal Law

to be taken away by the police or government and never seen again.

to be abducted, imprisoned, or killed by government forces for political reasons. Often used transitively in this specific political context.

Example

During the war, many people were disappeared by the secret police.

Example

Human rights organisations have spent decades documenting the cases of those who were disappeared during the military dictatorship.

Usage

In this sense, the verb is often used transitively ('the regime disappeared him') or as a passive participle ('the disappeared').
- abduct
- kidnap

Origin

From Middle English disapeeren, equivalent to dis- + appear. Displaced native Old English fordwīnan. Displaced native Old English cwincan, whose causative persists as quench (“put out (fire)”).