disengage

verb

dis·en·gage | \ ˌdis-in-ˈgāj

disengaged; disengaging; disengages

Definition of disengage

transitive verb

: to release from something that engages or involves

intransitive verb

: to release or detach oneself : withdraw

Other Words from disengage Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about disengage

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Examples of disengage in a Sentence

The two dancers moved together in a series of quick movements before disengaging and leaping apart. Put the car in gear, and then slowly disengage the clutch while pressing on the gas pedal. If there is a malfunction, the gears will automatically disengage.

Recent Examples on the Web

Baby boomers are more disengaged with their neighbors and even their loved ones than any other generation, said Dr. Laura Carstensen, who is director of the Stanford Center on Longevity and herself a boomer, in her 60s. — Bruce Horovitz, Washington Post, "Feel Like The Last Friend Standing? Here’s How To Cultivate New Buds As You Age.," 9 July 2018 The owner, who was not identified in the agency's complaint database, wrote that the cruise control would not disengage by tapping the brakes or turning off the button. — Tom Krisher, Detroit Free Press, "Fiat Chrysler warns 5.3M owners: Don't use the cruise," 25 May 2018 Boeing updated its Max 8 safety bulletin after November's disaster, providing information on how to disengage the automatic nose-down safety feature. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "The United States Grounds All Boeing 737 Max 8 And 9 Jets," 13 Mar. 2019 The manufacturer provided a safety bulletin to airlines about disengaging the feature prior to the crash, and is currently facing lawsuits from some of the victims' families. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Authorities Find Cockpit Voice Recorder of Crashed Lion Air Flight 610," 14 Jan. 2019 On a running play on first-and-10 from the Minnesota 33 late in the second quarter Friday, Will Dissly locked on to Viking defensive end Brian Robison and pushed and pushed and pushed again until the two finally disengaged at about the 27. — Bob Condotta, The Seattle Times, "Pete Carroll says Seahawks rookie tight end Will Dissly turning into ‘exactly what we hoped for’," 28 Aug. 2018 And after six seconds, the system will disengage and begin to slow down. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "George Hotz is on a hacker crusade against the ‘scam’ of self-driving cars," 13 July 2018 Experts told me they don’t really see a way for the US to truly, fully disengage. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Here’s why Trump threatened to pull out of a 144-year-old postal treaty," 19 Oct. 2018 While the helplessness of loss can discourage some or lead them to ultimately disengaging from society altogether, some — like Stevante — are driven toward pursuing substantive sociopolitical change. — Lincoln Anthony Blades, Teen Vogue, "Stevante Clark is Running for Mayor of Sacramento," 3 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disengage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.