disappearance
When a person or thing was there before, but now cannot be seen or found.
The event or process in which a person or thing that was present can no longer be seen or found, often suddenly or unexpectedly.
When something slowly goes away and is no longer part of life, used, or seen.
The process by which something such as a custom, species, product, or way of life gradually stops existing, being used, or being seen.
When someone is secretly taken and kept or killed, often by the government or soldiers, and no one is told where they are or what happened.
The abduction and secret detention or killing of a person, typically by a state or armed group, while refusing to admit the person’s fate or location.
- Base: disappearance
- Plural: disappearance, disappearances
do a disappearing act
1suddenly go away to avoid something
To suddenly go away or hide so that other people cannot find you, often to avoid work, responsibility, or an awkward situation.
- He always does a disappearing act when it's time to clean up after the party.
- My phone company did a disappearing act when I tried to complain about the bill.
- As soon as the police arrived, the thieves did a disappearing act.
enforced disappearance
1state-organized secret abduction
A human-rights term for when the state or people working for it secretly take someone away and do not say where they are or what happened to them.
- The UN convention on enforced disappearance entered into force in 2010.
- Families of victims of enforced disappearance are still waiting for justice.
- The report accuses the security forces of using enforced disappearance as a tool of repression.
mysterious disappearance
1a disappearance with unknown cause
Used when someone or something cannot be found and nobody knows clearly what happened.
- The documentary looks at the mysterious disappearance of the airplane.
- News of his mysterious disappearance quickly spread through the city.
- Her mysterious disappearance became the subject of many online theories.
the disappearance of [something/someone]
1talking about what has disappeared
A common way to say that a person or thing is no longer there, seen, or existing.
- The disappearance of my passport nearly ruined our holiday.
- Experts are worried about the disappearance of bees from many parts of the world.
- The film explores the disappearance of a young woman in a small town.