# disappear

/ˌdɪsəˈpiɹ/ (US) · /dˌɪsɐpˈiə/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/disappear
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 2. to stop existing

verb · CEFR B1

to stop being or to go away completely.

For teachers: to cease to exist or obtain; to pass away completely.

- Many traditional customs are starting to disappear in the modern world.
- The symptoms usually disappear within a few days of starting the antibiotic treatment, though patients must complete the full course.

### 3. to go missing

verb · CEFR B2

to be lost or to become a missing person.

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

- My keys have disappeared again, and I cannot find them anywhere.
- The hiker disappeared in the dense forest, prompting a massive search and rescue operation that lasted for nearly a week.

### 4. to be abducted for political reasons

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

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

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

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

## Examples

- The sun will disappear behind the clouds soon.
- I watched the magician make the rabbit disappear into a hat during the show.
- As the fog thickened, the distant lighthouse began to disappear, leaving the sailors to rely entirely on their instruments for navigation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.