disintegrate

verb

dis·in·te·grate | \ (ˌ)dis-ˈin-tə-ˌgrāt

disintegrated; disintegrating; disintegrates

Definition of disintegrate

transitive verb

1 : to break or decompose into constituent elements, parts, or small particles water disintegrates the limestone

2 : to destroy the unity or integrity (see integrity sense 3) of The lies disintegrated their marriage.

intransitive verb

1 : to break or separate into constituent elements or parts The iron hinges were disintegrateing into dust.

2 : to lose unity or integrity by or as if by breaking into parts The relationship started to disintegrate.

3 : to undergo a change in composition (see composition sense 2) an atomic nucleus that disintegrates because of radioactivity

Other Words from disintegrate More Example Sentences Learn More about disintegrate

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from disintegrate

disintegration \ (ˌ)dis-ˌin-tə-ˈgrā-shən

\ noun

disintegrative \ (ˌ)dis-ˈin-tə-ˌgrā-tiv

\ adjective

disintegrator \ -ˌgrā-tər

\ noun

Examples of disintegrate in a Sentence

The paper will disintegrate if it gets wet. The laser can disintegrate most kinds of rock.

Recent Examples on the Web

The meme was so easy to understand because it was based in a universal language — this sad moment isn’t as sad when characters are disintegrating. — Verge Staff, The Verge, "The best memes of 2018, according to The Verge staff," 27 Dec. 2018 The debris field is large: The plane virtually disintegrated upon impact with the water, according to investigators. — Barbara S. Peterson, Popular Mechanics, "Lion Air 610 Had the Same Problem Four Flights in a Row Before It Crashed," 5 Nov. 2018 The outburst had little to do with what was happening on the field at Central Stadium, where Mexico was disintegrating en route to a 3-0 loss to Sweden in the two countries’ vital final match of the World Cup group stage. — Andrew Keh And James Wagner, New York Times, "Mexico Loses to Sweden. Mexico Advances. Celebrate?," 28 June 2018 Within a week, all the calluses Ronny had built up in his barefoot years disintegrated, flaking from his unfeeling feet onto the bed. — Claire Mcneill, miamiherald, "This student became a paraplegic in FSU shooting. He fights to exist, to graduate. | Miami Herald," 4 May 2018 When entire divisions of Iraq’s military disintegrated following the fall of the city of Mosul to IS in the summer of 2014, Iranian influence soared. — Washington Post, "Iraq grapples with Iranian influence ahead of May elections," 4 Apr. 2018 Last month, Cuomo toured the existing tunnel and sent video footage to Trump that showed water dripping down the tunnel walls, broken electrical cables and disintegrating concrete. — David Klepper, The Seattle Times, "Cuomo to meet with Trump to discuss new train tunnel," 27 Nov. 2018 At the most basic level, loops of music repeat themselves, then disintegrate. — Corey Seymour, Vogue, "The Caretaker’s Musical Project Is One Part Psychological Experiment, One Part Auditory Revelation," 14 Dec. 2018 But there’s something regal beneath her slowly disintegrating façade, something that makes her worst moments — the cake-eating and the purple-faced screaming fits — even more jarring by contrast. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "The Favourite is a deliciously wicked tale of sex, women, and power plays," 21 Nov. 2018

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