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 of disassemble

• dismantle
• detach
• disconnect
• dismount

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

An iconic bridge used for decades by Outer Banks tourists is set to be closed and disassembled, but North Carolina officials have a plan to preserve its 300 spans – at the bottom of the Albemarle Sound. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2026

Keeping the ship flying night after night took around 100 roadies and stagehands, who had to disassemble it, load it up, haul it to the next city and reassemble it after every gig. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 5 Nov. 2026

From his emergence in the mid-1950s until his passing in 2018, Taylor not only disassembled jazz and reconstructed it in his own style, but also found ways to make the world listen. — Levi Dayan, Pitchfork, 3 Nov. 2026

To begin the overhaul, Weigand disassembled the clock on site, carefully detaching the heavy weights and unhooking the pendulum. — La'tasha Givens, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

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