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

Servers disassemble it in front of the guests, which makes for gorgeous photo- and video-ops and smashing plated presentations. —Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 June 2025

Afraid conditions would only worsen, leaders announced in May 2024 their plans to disassemble the chapel, a national historic landmark and popular wedding venue. —Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2025

The machine’s four modules are made in the U.S., Netherlands and Germany, then they’re shipped to the Netherlands for assembly and testing, where they’re disassembled again for shipment to chip fabs in places like the U.S. or Asia. —Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 22 May 2025

Assembly and ease of cleaning Food mills easily assembled and disassembled are far less burdensome to clean. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for disassemble

• assemble
• dissemble
• resemble
• reassemble
• semble
• tremble

Kids Definition

disassemble

verb

dis·​as·​sem·​ble ˌdis-ə-ˈsem-bəl 

: to take apart

disassemble an engine

disassembly

-ˈsem-blē 

noun