to drop off the radar
1
7.5
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
desaparecer del radar
- After months of active involvement in local meetings, she suddenly dropped off the radar, leaving her friends concerned.
- then drop off the radar
Examples
-
Its extended absence caused it to drop off the radar of many, but Canadian consumers can now grab the phone from Wind Mobile for $99 on contract.
Blog text (29) -
Fact is—not only has education dropped off the radar, Texas has run out of oil that can be pumped profitably; real jobs are as scarce as hen's teeth.
Blog text (30) -
Then she just dropped off the radar until six years ago.
-
Since then, she's dropped off the radar but started a program in Washington, D.C. under her name.
Blog text (30) -
Why are people so supportive and friendly when you see them all the time, but as soon as you drop off the radar, so to speak, you hear nothing?
Blog text (27) -
The truth is it has dropped off the radar screen, and the public has about the same level of interest in it as they do for last week's weather forecast.
Blog text (1) -
This is So Pretty by Drunk Elephant Trunk Elephants seem to have dropped off the radar here in the Uki don't know why.
-
They'll get all excited about a project, then it drops off the radar and we never hear of it again, including the LFG movie, Messiah, and numerous hints on Twitter about stuff in the works that never seemed to come to anything.
Blog text (21) -
Many talented artists drop off the radar after their initial success, making it hard for fans to find new work from them.
-
The once popular blogger dropped off the radar and hasn't posted anything in years, creating curiosity among her followers.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To stop being seen or to no longer be there
463
1.0
To stop being seen or felt
421
3.0
Disappear suddenly and completely for no clear reason
87
3.5
To stop being able to see a person or thing because something blocks your view
69
3.0
To become weaker and then disappear over time
32
3.4
To leave a place quietly without anyone noticing
9
5.9
To avoid being noticed by other people
8
4.4
To vanish suddenly with no trace
2
7.4
Not get noticed or dealt with
1
8.1
Disappear completely so no one knows what happened and no sign is left
1
6.3
To go unnoticed by people or officials
1
4.4
No longer present or existing
To stop being noticed or thought about by someone
Someone or something disappears completely so nobody knows where they are
Antonyms
How Noticeable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal parts ('drop' + 'off' + 'radar') do provide a plausible clue — something falling 'off' a detection system — so a learner can infer the sense of becoming undetected or out of contact. However, using 'radar' metaphorically for attention/visibility is somewhat figurative and the phrasal pattern 'drop off the radar' as a fixed idiom may not be fully predictable without prior exposure, making it only partially transparent.
Etymology
Drop off the radar comes from the picture of planes on a radar screen: if a plane flew low or moved out of view it would disappear from the radar. So, to drop off the radar means to become 'unseen', out of contact, or forgotten.