Meaning & use
vanish
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To disappear suddenly and completely, leaving no sign.
Grammar: No object: the thing itself vanishes. You cannot 'vanish something'.
Patterns
- vanish from something
- vanish into something
- vanish without a trace
The magician made the coin vanish from his hand.
My keys have vanished from the kitchen table.
The plane vanished into the clouds.
verbintransitive
To stop existing or be impossible to find anymore.
Grammar: Used for things, not people: jobs, species, money can vanish.
Patterns
- vanish forever
- vanish from the market
Many small shops have vanished from the high street.
The old way of life is vanishing quickly.
Word forms
| third person singular | vanishes |
|---|---|
| past tense | vanished |
| past participle | vanished |
| -ing form | vanishing |
Common combinations
- vanish into thin air
- The money seemed to vanish into thin air.
- vanish without a trace
- The ship vanished without a trace.
- vanish from sight
- The deer vanished from sight in seconds.
- vanish completely
- The pain vanished completely after the injection.
Synonyms and how they differ
- disappear
- More neutral and can be gradual; 'vanish' stresses suddenness and completeness.
- evaporate
- Used figuratively for hopes or feelings fading away, not for physical objects.
Opposites
Word family
- vanishing adjective
- Becoming rare or disappearing: a vanishing species.
- vanishing point noun
- The point in a picture where parallel lines seem to meet.
Commonly confused: vanish or varnish?
vanish vs varnish
A liquid that gives wood a shiny surface; sounds similar but is a noun or different verb.
Practice
The ship ______ from radar during the storm.
Choose one answer.
'Vanished' fits because the ship disappeared completely. 'Varnished' means covered with a shiny liquid; 'vanquished' means defeated; 'vanished from' needs an object after 'from'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vanish”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.