decommission

verb

de·​com·​mis·​sion ˌdē-kə-ˈmi-shən 

decommissioned; decommissioning; decommissions

transitive verb

: to remove (something, such as a ship or a nuclear power plant) from service

Examples of decommission in a Sentence

Several military bases are scheduled to be decommissioned.

The government is decommissioning the nuclear power plant.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Union commission president, thanked Erdogan for the gift, which will be decommissioned and donated to a military museum, her spokesperson said. — ABC News, 10 July 2026

The warship, which marked its 51st year in service in early May, had departed from the Pacific Northwest on March 7, 2026, and was expected to arrive earlier this spring to be decommissioned in advance of its recycling. — Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

When the new plant opens, Fiveash will eventually be decommissioned and demolished, but not right away. — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2026

In its Thursday announcement, NSF said that an array of sensors off the Oregon coast would be redeployed in the water after servicing and would not be decommissioned. — Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 18 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for decommission

• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition
• demolition

Kids Definition

decommission

verb

de·​com·​mis·​sion ˌdē-kə-ˈmish-ən 

: to remove (as a ship) from use or service