disarmed; disarming; disarms
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
disarmer
noun
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
Part of that disarming enchantment comes from the contemplative loop-like quality of the duo’s songwriting.
—
Leah Lu, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2024
Her Mary Jane is immediately endearing, navigating each new hurdle of the American healthcare system with disarming humor and grace.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
The choice of Offenbach’s loony comedy about a pair of starving Peruvian artists and their manipulation by a powerful philandering viceroy was the recommendation of mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard — who sings the title role with disarming comedic chops to rival her formidable pipes.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Mike Johnson, who’s about five feet eight, derives a disarming effect from his shorter stature.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
Guests are also invited to be recognized as heroes, as happened last year when the president invited Brandon Tsay, who had disarmed the mass shooter in Monterey Park.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
The net result was a car that connected the apexes at the Concours Club and Sonoma Raceway—our COTY testing circuits—with disarming aplomb.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 13 Feb. 2024
In fact, the floating of a possible buffer zone showed that Putin has no proposals on how to end the conflict, Melnyk said, other than to capture and disarm all of Ukraine.
—Andy Carey, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
According to the Sebastian County Detention Center's website, Thompson has been charged with fleeing, resisting arrest, theft, being an out-of-state fugitive and disarming a police officer.
—Monica Brich, arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2024
Leah Lu, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2024
Her Mary Jane is immediately endearing, navigating each new hurdle of the American healthcare system with disarming humor and grace.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
The choice of Offenbach’s loony comedy about a pair of starving Peruvian artists and their manipulation by a powerful philandering viceroy was the recommendation of mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard — who sings the title role with disarming comedic chops to rival her formidable pipes.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Mike Johnson, who’s about five feet eight, derives a disarming effect from his shorter stature.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
Guests are also invited to be recognized as heroes, as happened last year when the president invited Brandon Tsay, who had disarmed the mass shooter in Monterey Park.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
The net result was a car that connected the apexes at the Concours Club and Sonoma Raceway—our COTY testing circuits—with disarming aplomb.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 13 Feb. 2024
In fact, the floating of a possible buffer zone showed that Putin has no proposals on how to end the conflict, Melnyk said, other than to capture and disarm all of Ukraine.
—Andy Carey, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
According to the Sebastian County Detention Center's website, Thompson has been charged with fleeing, resisting arrest, theft, being an out-of-state fugitive and disarming a police officer.
—Monica Brich, arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disarm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near disarm
Cite this Entry
“Disarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disarm. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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