dismantle

verb dis·man·tle \ (ˌ)dis-ˈman-tᵊl \

|Updated on: 22 Jun 2018

Examples: dismantle in a Sentence

Definition of dismantle

dismantled; dismantling play \-ˈmant-liŋ, -ˈman-tᵊl-\

transitive verb

1 : to disconnect the pieces of

will have to dismantle the engine

; also : to destroy the integrity or functioning of

The program was later dismantled due to a lack of funding.

2 : to strip of dress or covering : divest

3 : to strip of furniture and equipment

dismantled the ship before scrapping it

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dismantlement

play \-ˈman-tᵊl-mənt\ noun

See dismantle defined for English-language learners

See dismantle defined for kids

Examples of dismantle in a Sentence

The mechanic dismantled the engine to repair it.
When will they dismantle the old bridge?
The after-school program was dismantled due to lack of funding.
He accuses them of trying to dismantle the country's legal system.

Recent Examples of dismantle from the Web

Some quake-prone cities in central and eastern Japan, including Tokyo, Aichi and Shizuoka, have started offering subsidies for dismantling or reinforcing cinder-block walls as a way to motivate private owners.

— Washington Post, "Japan to check concrete walls after Osaka quake deaths," 19 June 2018
In December, Becerra and three other state attorneys general sued the U.S. Department of Education and DeVos for dismantling the Obama-era student-loan relief.

— nanette asimov, SFChronicle.com, "Students of defunct Corinthian Colleges to get millions in loan refunds," 14 June 2018
Books like Spinster and All the Single Ladies are devoted to dismantling the idea that singledom automatically means doom.

— refinery29.com, "Sex And The City Might Be Dated, But It’ll Never Get Old," 6 June 2018
The Roberts Supreme Court has consistently favored businesses over people, and this latest decision is just another step in a trend towards dismantling labor rights.

— stephanie russell-kraft, The New Republic, "The Supreme Court’s War Against Workers," 21 May 2018
And any actual verifiable inspectable gains in terms of dismantling their nuclear capacity is a win.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Journalist Ronan Farrow on Recode Decode," 4 May 2018
Kim made no mention in the latest announcement of dismantling the nuclear weapons and long-range missiles North Korea has already built.

— choe sang-hun, The Seattle Times, "North Korea’s Kim Jong Un halts testing of nuclear weapons, missiles," 20 Apr. 2018
The Wall Street Journal's editorial page said the EPA chief was being hounded because of his success in dismantling Obama-era environmental standards.

— new york times, cleveland.com, "Chief of staff advised a resistant Trump to fire EPA Chief Scott Pruitt," 7 Apr. 2018
The administration has yet to produce evidence that the hotline has made a dent in dismantling institutional red tape.

— jessica mendoza, The Christian Science Monitor, "The Duterte dissonance: One leader, two Philippines?," 6 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of dismantle

Middle French desmanteler, from des- dis- + mantel mantle

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First Known Use: 1579

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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dismantle Synonyms

DISMANTLE Defined for English Language Learners

dismantle

verb

Definition of dismantle for English Language Learners

: to take (something, such as a machine or structure) apart so that it is in separate pieces
: to destroy (something) in an orderly way : to gradually cause (something) to come to an end