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 physical comedy is a large part of how Cassandro defeats wrestlers who tower over him, disarming them just by being himself. —Pat Padua, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023

The exuberance and confidence informed her array of disarming moves — pop-and-lock combinations, aggressive shimmies, shoulder rolls, rump shakes, move-outta-the-way prances — usually executed in choreographed routines with her dance squad. —Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2023

And on the other hand, the fact that our encounters with other people can completely disarm us. —Hazlitt, 19 July 2023

But sometimes, the promise of movie magic is exquisitely fulfilled, and your reservations can be disarmed. —Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023

Before the timer goes off, McCall has disarmed one man, shot several others, and stuck the gun barrel in another’s eye socket. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2023

The affection that the writer, director and cast have poured into the family unit — with one foot in their cultural traditions and another in American life, with all its challenges — gives Blue Beetle vital flesh-and-blood stakes, along with a steady stream of disarming comedy. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Aug. 2023

Police said another man at the scene got into a fight with the man who shot the girl, attempting to disarm him. —Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2023

The shooter was tackled and disarmed by patrons before being taken into custody by authorities. —Deon J. Hampton, NBC News, 26 June 2023

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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