English Reference
noun

disappearance

n.
US /ˌdɪsəˈpiɹəns/ UK /dˌɪsɐpˈiəɹəns/ dis·ap·pear·ance UK spelling disappearance's, disappearance's

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    the moment when something or someone goes away and you can no longer see them.

    the act of passing out of sight or vanishing from a specific location.

    Simple

    The sudden disappearance of the sun behind the clouds made the park feel cold.

    In context

    The magician's act relied on the seamless disappearance of a large bird from a cage that remained in full view of the audience.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    when a person goes missing and nobody knows where they are.

    the state of a person being missing, often under mysterious or unexplained circumstances.

    Simple

    The police are still investigating the mysterious disappearance of the hiker.

    In context

    The sudden disappearance of the witness just days before the trial raised serious concerns about the safety of the remaining participants.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced Academic Science

    when something stops existing or being used.

    the complete cessation of existence or the end of a particular phenomenon or species.

    Simple

    The disappearance of these rare plants is caused by changes in the weather.

    In context

    Environmentalists warned that the disappearance of these wetlands would lead to a catastrophic loss of biodiversity in the region.

Social media users have speculated that Wells’s disappearance, death and the perceived lack of urgency in the county’s investigation into what happened to the teen are because of his race.

The Guardian· 14 Aug 2026

From the protest site at Kupi, the road runs another 70km (43 miles) into the forest, towards the villages whose disappearance the women have gathered to resist.

Al Jazeera· 15 Aug 2026

From disappear + -ance.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated