disassemble

verb

dis·​as·​sem·​ble ˌdis-ə-ˈsem-bəl 

disassembled; disassembling; disassembles

transitive verb

: to take apart

disassemble a watch

intransitive verb

1

: to come apart

the frame disassembles into sections

2

: disperse, scatter

the crowd began to disassemble

disassembly

ˌdis-ə-ˈsem-blē 

noun

Synonyms

• break down
• demount
• dismantle
• dismember
• dismount
• knock down
• strike
• take down

Examples of disassemble in a Sentence

The bookshelf disassembles for easy storage.

they had to disassemble the television set in order to replace the wiring

Recent Examples on the Web

After practicing on a mock-up of the damaged reactor, Mr. Carter and the others, sealed in protective suits, entered the radioactive wreckage, disassembling it piece by piece. —Bill Marsh, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024

Students will also be taught how to assemble and disassemble weapons. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024

Africa’s curriculum is, in itself, a masterclass in disassembling the visual politics of beauty as a colonial construct. —Akilah Sailers, Essence, 19 Dec. 2024

That flag drop signals the start of a mad dash to totally disassemble the garage and pack all the equipment onto their respective freights, an operation that extended well into early Monday morning in Doha. —Jack Bantock, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

disassemble

verb

dis·​as·​sem·​ble ˌdis-ə-ˈsem-bəl 

: to take apart

disassemble an engine

disassembly

-ˈsem-blē 

noun