disarm

verb

dis·​arm dis-ˈärm 

diz-,

ˈdis-ˌärm

disarmed; disarming; disarms

transitive verb

1

a

: to deprive of means, reason, or disposition to be hostile

disarmed criticism by admitting her errors

b

: to win over

2

a

: to divest of arms

disarm captured troops

b

: to deprive of a means of attack or defense

disarm a ship

c

: to make harmless

disarm a bomb

intransitive verb

1

: to lay aside arms

2

: to give up or reduce armed forces

disarmament

ˌdis-ˈär-mə-mənt 

noun

disarmer noun

Synonyms

• demilitarize

Examples of disarm in a Sentence

The government has been unsuccessful at disarming the rebels.

The terrorists have refused to disarm.

It took more than an hour to disarm the bomb.

Recent Examples on the Web

That decision involved whether certain categories of people — namely those found to pose a credible threat to others — can be temporarily disarmed. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 9 Dec. 2024

Past agreements, such as the 2006 U.N. Resolution 1701, failed to fully disarm Hezbollah, leading to skepticism about the current deal's enforcement. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024

Deputies arrived while the incident was underway and managed to disarm Kelsey, who Lopez said was trying to strike one of the witnesses with the hammer. —Silas Morgan, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Nov. 2024

The threat is disarmed as Dorothy and the audience recognize the human insecurities driving the man behind the curtain. —Dan Bekerman, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English desarmen, literally, to divest of arms, from Anglo-French desarmer, from des- dis- + armer to arm

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

disarm

verb

dis·​arm (ˈ)dis-ˈärm 

1

: to take weapons from

disarm a prisoner

2

: to reduce the size and strength of the armed forces of a country

3

: to make harmless, peaceable, or friendly : remove dislike or suspicion

a disarming smile

disarmament

-ˈär-mə-mənt 

noun