decommission

verb

de·​com·​mis·​sion ˌdē-kə-ˈmi-shən How to pronounce decommission (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The plan does provide the opportunity for remaining Hamas members to decommission their arms and receive amnesty. Callum Sutherland, Time, 9 Oct. 2025 After the patient leaves, the hospital’s doors are locked, and All Saints is officially decommissioned. Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025 What To Know The AAV—introduced in 1972 for ship-to-shore troop deployments—was officially decommissioned at the Assault Amphibian School, Camp Pendleton, California, on September 26, according to the Marine Corps Training and Education Command. Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025 Since then, a smaller number of workers have chipped away at decommissioning the plant — a decades-long process of cleaning up nuclear waste. Miranda Dunlap, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for decommission

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of decommission was in 1922

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Decommission.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decommission. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

decommission

verb
de·​com·​mis·​sion ˌdē-kə-ˈmish-ən How to pronounce decommission (audio)
: to remove (as a ship) from use or service

More from Merriam-Webster on decommission

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!