disassemble
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- disassembly noun
Etymology
Origin of disassemble
Explanation
The verb disassemble means to take something apart. It's one thing to disassemble a computer; it's a whole other thing to put it back together again. If you take your car to the repair shop to have a squeaky brake fixed, you'll be surprised to see the mechanics quickly disassemble your car, removing even its wheels and doors. You can use the word disassemble whenever something's dismantled or broken into pieces. Originally, disassemble meant "to disperse," or to stop a crowd of people from assembling, but the meaning changed to its current definition in the 1600s.
Vocabulary lists containing disassemble
Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 9
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The Kill Order
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The modular building took 10 weeks to install - including laying its foundations - and will take just days to disassemble when it is no longer required.
From BBC • Nov. 10, 2025
Afraid conditions would only worsen, leaders announced in May 2024 their plans to disassemble the chapel, a national historic landmark and popular wedding venue.
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2025
The project to disassemble and eventually rebuild the chapel is expected to take four years.
From New York Times • May 16, 2024
Those recollections led her to disassemble some of the world’s richest people in her book, but Swisher isn’t worried about the blowback.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 26, 2024
We kneel together and disassemble the castle towers.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
