disappear
Leave no trace
To disappear is to pass out of sight or cease to exist.
A person disappears around a corner, into a crowd, or without a trace.
Things disappear when lost, stolen, or consumed: My keys have disappeared, The cake disappeared in minutes.
In sinister contexts, to disappear someone is to abduct or kill them secretly, often by state actors: The regime disappeared thousands of dissidents.
Misleading sensory impression
- conjuringPerforming magical illusions
- sleight of handSkillful manual deception
- prestidigitationSkillful hand-based illusions
- vanishing actAbrupt, unexplained departure
poof · trapdoor · smoke and mirrors · levitation · teleportation · magician · illusionist · Houdini
Lose intensity gradually
- evaporateTransition to gaseous state
- dissolveDisperse into liquid
- dissipateGradually fade away
- dwindleDecrease gradually over time
evanesce · dematerialize · melt · wane · recede · diminish · disperse · scatter
Flight from captivity
- abscondFlee to avoid capture
- boltThreaded rod for nuts
- vanishCease to be visible
- slipMinor error or misstep
evade · elude · decamp · run off · take flight · skip town · desert · defect
Without legal effect
- emptinessAbsence of substance
- vacuumAbsence of matter
- gapUnfilled space between
- lacunaAbsent piece in sequence
vacancy · nonexistence · blank · nothing · gone · departed · loss · missing
Seize and detain illegally
- snatchRapid forceful taking
- seizeTake suddenly, forcibly
- missing personUnlocated person sought by authorities
- vanishingCeasing to be visible
taken · lost · milk carton · amber alert · cold case · without a trace · foul play · unsolved
illusion
Misleading sensory impression
- conjuringPerforming magical illusions
- sleight of handSkillful manual deception
- prestidigitationSkillful hand-based illusions
vanishing act · poof · trapdoor · smoke and mirrors · levitation · teleportation · magician · illusionist · Houdini · presto
fade
Lose intensity gradually
dwindle · evanesce · dematerialize · melt · wane · recede · diminish · disperse · scatter · sublimate
escape
Flight from captivity
slip · evade · elude · decamp · run off · take flight · skip town · desert · defect · elope
void
Without legal effect
lacuna · vacancy · nonexistence · blank · nothing · gone · departed · loss · missing · vanished
kidnap
Seize and detain illegally
- snatchRapid forceful taking
- seizeTake suddenly, forcibly
- missing personUnlocated person sought by authorities
vanishing · taken · lost · milk carton · amber alert · cold case · without a trace · foul play · unsolved · last seen
conceal
Keep from being seen
- camouflageConcealment through visual blending
- cloakSleeveless outer wrap
- veilFabric that obscures
mask · shroud · obscure · stealth · lurk · secrete · duck · slip away · lie low · go underground
- disappearingvanish, fade, vanishing, evaporate, gone
- escapeescape, flee, run away, get away, flight
- discretiondiscreet, discretion, subtle, understated, unobtrusive
- vanishingvanish, vanishing, fading, dissolving, evaporate
- oblivionoblivion, nothingness, nonexistence, extinction, annihilation
- evasionevasion, avoiding, avoids, evade, dodging
- disappearing actSudden, unexplained departure
- disappear into thin airTo completely cease existing visibly
- disappeared into thin airLeft suddenly, tracelessly
- disappearing into thin airBecoming suddenly untraceable
- disappearing inkLiquid that fades away
- disappearing messagesAuto-deleting digital correspondence