verb
vanish
VA-nihsh
verb
1
To disappear suddenly, or to go out of sight without being noticed.
"The magician waved his cape and the coin seemed to vanish."
"Fog rolled in and the mountains vanished from view."
2
To stop existing or to fade away completely.
"His confidence vanished the moment he stepped on stage."
"Any doubt about her talent vanished after the audition."
How to Use Vanish
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo vanish is to disappear, whether physically (from view) or more abstractly (a feeling, a problem, an opportunity fading away).
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "banish," which means to send someone away by force — vanish is about something disappearing on its own.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
vanish into thin air
vanish from sight
vanish without a trace
Word Forms
vanished past tense, vanishes plural, vanishes singular
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Etymology
A shortened form of the older word evanish, going back through Old French esvanir to Latin evanescere — "to fade out" — built from vanus, meaning "empty." It's a doublet of "evanesce."