without a trace
Left nothing behind
Without a trace describes something or someone that disappears completely, leaving no evidence or indication of where they went or what happened.
The phrase emphasizes total absence—no footprints, no clues, no remnants.
The hikers vanished without a trace in the mountain wilderness.
It applies equally to physical disappearances and to things that fade from memory or relevance: His enthusiasm for the project disappeared without a trace.
- vanishedDisappeared from sight
- disappearedCeased to exist visibly
- goneNo longer present
- gone missingDisappeared without explanation
- into thin airDisappeared entirely, mysteriously
missing · invisible · lost · evaporated · ghosted · slipped away · erased · off the grid · poof · vapor · thin air · mystery · cold case · unsolved · footprints · evidence · clues · searching
without a traceon the record
Openly stated, quotable
leaving a mark · documented · traceable · detectably · traceably
without a tracein plain sight
Completely visible, unhidden
conspicuously · publicly · for all to see · in full view · visibly
without, trace, with, traced, traces, tracing, traceable, untraceable, tracer