ENGLISH
REFERENCE

disappear

v.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˌdɪsəˈpiɹ// UK //dˌɪsɐpˈiə// dis·ap·pear General-service Humorous

v. to go away so that you cannot be seen anymore. It can also mean that something stops existing or gets lost.

v. to cease to be visible; to pass out of sight or existence. Intransitive — does not take a direct object.


SIMPLE

The sun will disappear behind the clouds soon.

CONTEXTUAL

I watched the magician make the rabbit disappear into a hat during the show.

COMPLEX

As the fog thickened, the distant lighthouse began to disappear, leaving the sailors to rely entirely on their instruments for navigation.

Synonyms
Antonyms
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)”).

Usage

The verb is intransitive and cannot be used in the passive voice.

Pitfall

The keys were disappeared.The keys disappeared.Disappear is intransitive; it cannot be used in the passive voice to describe something getting lost.

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