could be disappeared

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "could be disappeared" is not correct in standard written English.
It is not typically used because "disappear" is an intransitive verb and does not take a direct object. Example: "The evidence could disappear if not properly secured."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Now, the US was playing the role of the oppressive regime, where British citizens could be disappeared to.

The Guardian - Opinion

How I bought drugs from the dark net The demise of Google Reader, which lead journalists and hardcore news enthusiasts kicking and screaming into the night, showed that any free service could be disappeared once Google deemed it outside its core mission.

The Guardian - Tech

But more than anything it was a psychological terror because we didn't know if we could be disappeared".

Vice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

So just as Mr. Bush is making the case that the new alliance with the United States can bring economic benefits for Pakistan, those benefits could be disappearing.

The New York Times

Your intellectual capital could be disappearing before your eyes and you'd never know it even if you read all of their emails.

BBC

The plateau and the following slow decline in complexity may ensue simply because the driving force of the complexity burst, whatever it could be, disappears after a few hundred generations.

Biology Direct

The vice president's staff was "very much of one ultra-hawkish mind," she writes, adding that the most intense confrontation between her and Mr. Cheney came when she argued that terrorism suspects could not be "disappeared" as in some authoritarian states.

The New York Times

They could be headed for the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, or they could simply be disappearing into the mountains, perhaps to fight another day as guerrillas.

The New York Times

Considering that the construction of the Parliament building was delayed by the discovery of the site, the finds could have been "disappeared," as occurs in many countries, Dr. Murowchick said.

The New York Times - Science

The disagreement between self-reporting and clinical examination can also be attributed either to having a very small cutting that could have been disappeared with anatomical growth of genital area or having made a small wound which was regarded as circumcision [ 18].

BMC Public Health

"You don't discount the danger, but I think you sublimate it when you're younger," he says, mindful of the fact that since only the chairman of Consolidated Goldfields (played in the film by Derek Jacobi) knew what he was doing, he could easily have been "disappeared" into the veld.

Independent

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "could be disappeared" in formal writing. Opt for grammatically correct alternatives like "could vanish" or "could go missing" for clearer communication.

Common error

The verb "disappear" is intransitive and doesn't take a direct object. Avoid constructing passive sentences with it. Instead of "could be disappeared", use active constructions like "could vanish" or rephrase to "could go missing".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "could be disappeared" attempts to express the possibility of someone or something vanishing or being made to disappear. However, it uses incorrect grammar, employing the passive voice with an intransitive verb.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

66%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "could be disappeared" is generally considered grammatically incorrect in standard English. As Ludwig AI points out, "disappear" is an intransitive verb and doesn't typically take a direct object. While the intention is to express the possibility of something vanishing, it's best to use alternatives such as "could vanish" or "could go missing" for clarity and correctness. The phrase appears rarely, predominantly in news media, but its usage should be avoided in formal writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

might disappear

Uses "might" to indicate possibility of disappearing, similar to "could".

could vanish

Replaces "disappeared" with a simpler, intransitive verb indicating sudden disappearance.

could go missing

Focuses on the state of being lost or unaccounted for.

could be lost

Emphasizes the potential for something to be misplaced or no longer found.

could become untraceable

Highlights the inability to find or track someone or something.

could fade away

Suggests a gradual disappearance or decline.

could be erased

Indicates the potential for something to be completely removed or eliminated.

could cease to exist

Emphasizes the potential for something to stop existing altogether.

could be spirited away

Implies a mysterious or magical disappearance.

could abscond

Describes a secret departure, often to avoid legal consequences.

FAQs

What's grammatically wrong with "could be disappeared"?

The verb "disappear" is intransitive and doesn't take a direct object. Thus, it's not typically used in passive constructions. The phrase should be reworded to use a more appropriate verb or structure.

What can I say instead of "could be disappeared"?

You can use alternatives like "could vanish", "could go missing", or "could be lost" depending on the context.

Is "could be disappeared" ever correct in English?

In standard written English, "could be disappeared" is generally considered incorrect due to the intransitive nature of the verb "disappear". There might be very specific, non-standard contexts where it's used, but it's best to avoid it.

How to use "vanish" correctly as an alternative to "could be disappeared"?

Instead of saying something like "the evidence could be disappeared", you should say "the evidence could vanish" or "the evidence "could disappear"". "Vanish" is intransitive, so it doesn't take a direct object.