disestablish
verb
dis·es·tab·lish
ˌdis-ə-ˈstab-lish 
disestablished; disestablishing; disestablishes
: to deprive of an established status
especially
: to deprive of the status and privileges of an established church
Examples of disestablish in a Sentence
efforts to disestablish the Church of England
Recent Examples on the Web
The court determined that tribal nations still have sovereignty over historic reservations if they were never formally disestablished by Congress.
—
Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2024
But the assertion that bigger brains make for a smarter species may have been disestablished now that scientists have made a harrowing journey into the Rising Star cave and discovered that the species -- which lived about 335,000 to 236,000 years ago -- buried its dead and marked the graves.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 5 June 2023
Meanwhile, federal prosecutors in Oklahoma are seeing massive increases in caseloads as the result of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that determined a large swath of eastern Oklahoma remains an Indian reservation because Congress never voted to disestablish it.
—Alanna Durkin Richer, Star Tribune, 18 Mar. 2021
Massachusetts was the last to disestablish in 1833.
—Samuel Goldman, The Week, 16 Feb. 2022
During that period of land theft, though, Congress never took the time to disestablish the Creek reservation.
—Nick Martin, The New Republic, 9 July 2020
When the first case was heard, the justices reached back to 1907 to determine whether Congress, using imprecise language, failed to disestablish the 1866 boundaries of the Indian reservation.
—Richard Wolf, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2019
The twin constitutional pillars of religious liberty in the United States — the free-exercise clause and the establishment clause — don’t just protect liberty by disestablishing religion (by preventing the formation of a state church).
—David French, National Review, 12 Sep. 2019
The village board voted 5 to 2 in favor of disestablishing the dog park that has divided this Maryland suburb for months.
—Jessica Contrera, baltimoresun.com, 10 Sep. 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2024
But the assertion that bigger brains make for a smarter species may have been disestablished now that scientists have made a harrowing journey into the Rising Star cave and discovered that the species -- which lived about 335,000 to 236,000 years ago -- buried its dead and marked the graves.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 5 June 2023
Meanwhile, federal prosecutors in Oklahoma are seeing massive increases in caseloads as the result of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that determined a large swath of eastern Oklahoma remains an Indian reservation because Congress never voted to disestablish it.
—Alanna Durkin Richer, Star Tribune, 18 Mar. 2021
Massachusetts was the last to disestablish in 1833.
—Samuel Goldman, The Week, 16 Feb. 2022
During that period of land theft, though, Congress never took the time to disestablish the Creek reservation.
—Nick Martin, The New Republic, 9 July 2020
When the first case was heard, the justices reached back to 1907 to determine whether Congress, using imprecise language, failed to disestablish the 1866 boundaries of the Indian reservation.
—Richard Wolf, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2019
The twin constitutional pillars of religious liberty in the United States — the free-exercise clause and the establishment clause — don’t just protect liberty by disestablishing religion (by preventing the formation of a state church).
—David French, National Review, 12 Sep. 2019
The village board voted 5 to 2 in favor of disestablishing the dog park that has divided this Maryland suburb for months.
—Jessica Contrera, baltimoresun.com, 10 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Disestablish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disestablish. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share